W artykule podjęto próbę określenia roli środowiska szpitalnego w szerzeniu się zakażeń Clostridioides/Clostridium (C.) difficile na podstawie przeglądu wyników badań opublikowanych w literaturze medycznej i własnych doświadczeń. Clostridium difficile ostatnio przyciąga coraz więcej uwagi, nie tylko jako czynnik etiologiczny rzekomobłoniastego zapalenia jelit i biegunek poantybiotykowych, ale także-ze względu na zdolność przetrwania w środowisku szpitalnym przez długi czas-jako przyczyna zakażeń związanych z opieką zdrowotną. Jest to spowodowane wytwarzaniem przez C. difficile przetrwalników-spor, których możliwości zwalczania są dość ograniczone. Spory C. difficile obecne są nie tylko na pościeli i innych przedmiotach należących do zakażonych pacjentów. Bytują także na sprzęcie medycznym i dłoniach personelu, które stanowią źródło zakażenia zarówno dla innych pacjentów, jak i dla części personelu. Wprowadzenie odpowiednich procedur higieny/mycia rąk oraz sprzątania i dezynfekcji powierzchni szpitalnych umożliwia zmniejszenie liczby spor i/lub ich eradykację. Procedur tych należy skrupulatnie przestrzegać w celu ograniczenia występowania spor w środowisku szpitalnym i zapobiegania dalszemu szerzeniu się zakażeń C. difficile (Clostridium difficile infection-CDI). Monitorowanie obecności spor C. difficile w środowisku szpitalnym z zastosowaniem odpowiednich podłóż (C diff Banana Broth TM) daje dodatkowe możliwości wyhodowania szczepów C. difficile i określenia rybotypów, zwłaszcza hiperepidemicznych, co jest niezmiernie ważne z punktu widzenia epidemiologicznego.

The aim of this study was Clostridioides difficile outbreak investigation due to the emergence of rifampicin resistant ribotype 027 (RT 027) fecal isolates from patients of Polish tertiary care hospital between X. 2017 and II. 2018 using multilocus variable tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine C. difficile fecal isolates from patients of tertiary care hospital in Southern Poland were ribotyped and analyzed by MLVA. Multiplex PCR (mPCR) for genes encoding GDH (gluD), toxins A (tcdA)/ B (tcdB), 16S rDNA and binary toxin genes (ctdA and ctdB) was performed. The antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined by E-test. Results: The A, B and binary toxins encoding genes were detected in all 29 C. difficile strains which were sensitive to metronidazole, vancomycin and were resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and moxifloxacin; resistance to imipenem demonstrated 97%, to rifampicin -45% isolates. C. difficile strains could be grouped by MLVA into 5 distinct clusters, and the largest cluster II contains 16 strains. The comparison of rifampicin GM MIC of cluster II (n=16 strains) with all others (n=13) showed that strains from clusters I, III, IV and V possessed significantly (p <0.005) higher GM MIC and were more resistant to rifampicin. Conclusion: MLVA analysis proved transmission and recognized outbreak due to multidrugresistant RT 027 C. difficile among patients of tertiary care hospital in Southern Poland. The reason for this is probably the widespread occurrence of spores in the hospital environment, which includes, among others, neglect of hygienic procedures and epidemic supervision. High resistance to imipenem (97%) and to rifampicin (45%) among C. difficile RT 027 Silesian isolates is threatening and requires further studies to elucidate this phenomenon.

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A temperate siphovirus, phiCDKH01, was obtained from a clinical isolate of Clostridioides difficile. The phage genome is a 45,089-bp linear double-stranded DNA molecule with an average G+C content of 28.7%. It shows low similarity to known phage genomes, except for phiCD24-1. Genomic and phylogenetic analysis revealed that phiCDKH01 is a newly discovered phage. Sixty-six putative ORFs were predicted in the genome, 37 of which code for proteins with predicted functions. The phiCDKH01 prophage was localized in the host genome. The results of this study increase our knowledge about the genetic diversity of tailed phages.

Background Recent studies have shown that up to 25% of sepsis cases originate in the urinary tract. Urosepsis can be associated with cystitis, lower urinary tract infections (UTIs), and upper UTIs and is most commonly caused by gram-negative bacteria. This retrospective study from a urology center in southern Poland, was conducted between 2017 and 2020 and aimed to investigate the causes, microbiology laboratory findings, and management in 138 patients with UTIs and urosepsis. Material/Methods Records of patients with UTIs with urosepsis admitted to the Urology Department of the hospital in Silesia, Poland, between 2017 and 2020 were analyzed retrospectively, and clinical and laboratory data were evaluated. Results The 138 included patients were admitted to the hospital between 2017 and 2020. The median age of patients was 67 (20–94) years, and 59.9% (82/137) were men. The most common reasons for admission to the Urology Department were hydronephrosis due to dysfunction of urinary drainage in 36.5% (50/137) of patients and hydronephrosis due to urolithiasis in 22.6% (31/137) of patients. The main etiological agents responsible for the development of urosepsis were strains of Enterobacteriaceae in 85% of patients, of which 41.4% (48/116) produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), accounting for 35.0% (48/137) of patients with urosepsis. In 83.3% (80/96) of patients, the pathogen cultured from the urine was identical to that cultured from the blood. Conclusions The identification of an increasing prevalence of urosepsis associated with ESBL-producing gram-negative rods from this single-center study highlights the importance of infection monitoring, rapid diagnosis, and multidisciplinary patient management.