Molecular typing of Clostridium difficile isolates cultured from patient stool samples and gastroenterological medical devices in a single Iranian hospital

This study aimed to characterize Clostridium difficile isolates cultured from stool samples of patients with C. difficile infection (CDI) and swabs from a medical environment in a gastroenterology center in Tehran, Iran. A total of 158 samples (105 stool samples from hospitalized patients and 53 swabs from medical devices and the environment) were collected from January 2011 to August 2011 and investigated for the presence of C. difficile by direct anaerobic culture on a selective media for C. difficile. C. difficile isolates were further characterized by capillary electrophoresis (CE) ribotyping and toxin gene multiplex PCR. Of 158 samples, C. difficile was cultured in 19 of 105 stool samples (18%) and in 4 of 53 swabs (7.5%). C. difficile PCR ribotype (RT) 126 was the most common RT in the study (21.7%). Further RTs were: 001, 003, 014, 017, 029, 039, 081, 103 and 150. RTs 126, 001, 150 were cultured from both the stool samples and swabs of medical devices and the hospital environment which suggest a possible route of transmission. •We investigated 105 stool samples and 53 swabs from hospital environment.•C. difficile were cultured in 18% (n = 19) of stool samples and 7.5% (n = 4) of swabs.•PCR ribotype (RT) 126 was the most common RT in the study (21%).•RTs 001, 126 and 150 were cultured from both stool samples and medical equipment.