The changes of PCR ribotype and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridium difficile in a tertiary care hospital over 10 years

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate any change in PCR ribotypes and to determine the antimicrobial resistance of common PCR ribotypes over a 10-year period in a tertiary care hospital. We conducted PCR ribotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and DNA gyrase sequencing to identify changes in 1407 Clostridium difficile non-duplicated isolates obtained between 2000 and 2009. A total of 74 different ribotypes were found. The most prevalent ribotype was ribotype 001 (26.1 %). The prevalence of ribotype 017 was 17 % and that of ribotype 014/020 was 9.6 %. Ribotyping showed that the prevalence of ribotype 001 decreased and the prevalence of ribotypes 017, 014/020 and 018 increased over the 10 years. Antimicrobial resistance rates in prevalent ribotypes were: clindamycin, 81 %; cefotetan, 19 %; moxifloxacin, 42 %; imipenem, 8 %; ciprofloxacin, 100 % and erythromycin, 80 %. Ribotype 018 showed greater antimicrobial resistance than other ribotypes. All ribotype 018 strains showing moxifloxacin resistance had a substitution of a gyrA coding amino acid (Thr82 to Ile). This study will help the understanding of PCR ribotype trends and antimicrobial resistance of C. difficile in Korea.