Dominance of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile strains and the appearance of the emerging PCR ribotype 955 in hospitals in Silesia, Poland

Dominance of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile strains and the appearance of the emerging PCR ribotype 955 in hospitals in Silesia, Poland

IntroductionToxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile are the leading cause of healthcare-associated bacterial infections in Poland. In the Silesian Voivodeship, with 4.5 million inhabitants, the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in 2023 reached 65.1/100,000, slightly down from 70.0/100,...

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Main Authors: Klaudia Szarek, Natalia Frankowska, Monika Kabała, Wiep Klaas Smits, Dorota Wultańska, Piotr Lalowski, Hanna Pituch, Adam Iwanicki, Krzysztof Hinc, Céline Harmanus, Ingrid M. J. G. Sanders, Robert Wojtyczka, Tomasz J. Wąsik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
Subjects:
Clostridioides difficile
toxigenic strains
ribotypes
Clostridioides difficile infection
hospital-acquired infection
health care-associated CDI
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1644051/full
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Summary:IntroductionToxigenic strains of Clostridioides difficile are the leading cause of healthcare-associated bacterial infections in Poland. In the Silesian Voivodeship, with 4.5 million inhabitants, the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in 2023 reached 65.1/100,000, slightly down from 70.0/100,000 in 2022. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of toxigenic C. difficile ribotypes in hospitalized patients in Silesia.Materials and methodsA total of 130 stool samples from patients with confirmed antibiotic-associated diarrhea were tested. Multiplex PCR detected genes for GDH, toxins A/B, binary toxin CDT, and 16S rDNA. Ribotyping was performed by capillary PCR, and antibiotic susceptibility was tested with ETEST for 10 antibiotics.ResultsMultiplex PCR confirmed the presence of all toxins (A+B+CDT+) in 97 isolates. Six strains (6%) represented ribotype 955 (RT955), first reported in Poland in 2023. RT027 remained dominant (60%, n = 78). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, while 4% (5/130) showed metronidazole resistance.ConclusionRT027 remains prevalent among CDI cases in Silesia. The emergence of RT955, closely related to a UK epidemic strain, suggests a possible shared origin and epidemiological link.
ISSN:1664-302X

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