Clostridioides difficile Infections and Antibiotherapy: Results of Four Years of Observation in a Romanian Tertiary Hospital

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2024-12, Vol.12 (12), p.2490
• Main Authors: Vasile, Carmen-Cristina, Gheorghe, Luisa-Andreea, Chivu, Carmen-Daniela, Anghel, Marta Ana Maria, Mîinea, Ștefan Eduard, Pițigoi, Daniela, Crăciun, Maria-Dorina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antibiotherapy; Antibiotics; Carbapenems; Cephalosporins; Clinical outcomes; Clostridioides difficile; Communicable diseases; COVID-19; Data analysis; Development and progression; Disease prevention; Endoscopy; Epidemiology; Hospital patients; Hospitalization; Hospitals; incidence; Infection; Infectious diseases; Morbidity; Mortality; Nosocomial infections; Pandemics; Pathogens; Patients; Public health; Risk factors; Rites, ceremonies and celebrations; Surveillance; tertiary hospital; Virulence; β-Lactam antibiotics
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12122490

infection (CDI) is one of the main causes of morbidity associated with antibiotic use, producing both healthcare-associated infections and community infections. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics, the clinical outcomes, previous antibiotic exposure, and other risk factors of hospitalized patients with CDI in a tertiary infectious disease hospital in Bucharest, Romania. We performed a descriptive analysis based on four-year surveillance data, collected in a tertiary infectious disease hospital in Bucharest, Romania. The annual incidence of CDIs varied from 65.1 cases per 10,000 discharges in 2020 to 211.7 cases per 10,000 discharges in 2023, with a continuously ascending trend. Most of the cases were hospital-acquired cases. There was a high share of antibiotic consumption three months before admission (61.3%). Third-generation cephalosporins, β-lactams with inhibitor combination, and carbapenems were the most used antibiotics, with shares of 46.0%, 25.2%, and 18.6%, respectively. Hospitalization in the previous 12 months and contact with a confirmed CDI case were other frequent factors in the study group, the occurrences of which were recorded as 66.2% and 2.4%, respectively. The surveillance data identified that the annual trend in CDIs is very variable, suggesting the need for continuous and multiannual analysis.