Screening and isolating asymptomatic Clostridium difficile carriers was associated with a reduction in incidence of healthcare-associated C. diff infections at a Canadian acute care facility, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
C. diff is a dangerous and costly infection, as approximately half a million cases of hospital-associated C. diff infections happen annually in the U.S., resulting in 29,000 deaths and creating a $4.8 billion increase in medical costs.
At the Canadian facility, between Nov. 19, 2013, and March 7, 2015, admitted patients were screened for C. diff toxin B gene with polymerase chain reaction on a rectal swab. Of the 7,599 patients screened, 368 were found to be C. diff carriers. These carriers were placed under contact isolation precautions.
During the span of the intervention, hospital-associated C. diff infections dropped by 50 percent, and researchers estimated the intervention prevented 63 infections.
The study's authors acknowledge that the results are limited because the intervention was carried out at a single center. Additional studies are needed to confirm this particular study's findings are replicable.
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