Vol.68 No.5 September 2020
Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in animals and its relationship with human infections
Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Safety, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, 582 Midorimachi, Bunkyodai, Ebetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is the major causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and of pseudomembranous colitis, its more severe form, in humans. These conditions are difficult to treat, and the infection frequently relapses. It is estimated that about 10% of the patients die of this infection in Western countries. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that C. difficile infections (CDIs) pose an urgent threat to public health. Although the severity of CDIs in Japan is lower than that in the Western world, this infection is also a public health concern in Japan. C. difficile has also been isolated from healthy animals. Based on molecular analysis similar ribotypes were observed among C. difficile strains isolated from community-acquired cases of CDI, as well as from healthy animals. We isolated and characterized C. difficile from Japanese animals and food products. We found pathogenic C. difficile contamination in healthy livestock, companion animals, and retail foods, including meats and vegetables. In this review, we show the prevalence and characteristics of C. difficile isolated from Japanese animals and foods through the One Health approach.
Key word
antibiotic-associated diarrhea, Clostridioides difficile, community acquired infection, One Health
Received
April 15, 2020
Accepted
May 15, 2020
Jpn. J. Chemother. 68 (5): 557-562, 2020
