Abstract
Background There is increasing recognition of the contribution of community-acquired cases to the global burden of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The epidemiology of CDI among international travellers is poorly understood, and factors associated with international travel, such as antibiotic use and changes in gut microbiota, could potentially put travellers at higher risk.
Methods We summarized demographic, travel-associated and geographic characteristics of travellers with CDI in the GeoSentinel database from 1997 to 2015. We also surveyed GeoSentinel sites to compare various testing indications, approaches, and diagnostic modalities.
Results We identified 260 GeoSentinel records, including 187 that satisfied criteria for analysis (confirmed cases in non-immigrant travellers aged>2 years, seen
Conclusions CDI is encountered in returning international travellers, although there is considerable variability in testing practices. These data underscore the importance of awareness of C. difficile as a potential cause of travel-associated diarrhoea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 099 |
| Journal | Journal of Travel Medicine |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISSN | 1195-1982 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- Clostridium difficile
- diarrhoea
- travellers
- UNITED-STATES
- HEALTH-CARE
- EPIDEMIOLOGY
- DIARRHEA
- COLONIZATION
- MICROBIOTA
- HOST
- PATHOGEN
- DISEASES
- RISK