Presentations & Publications
2021
How to: prophylactic interventions for prevention of Clostridioides difficile infection
E. Reigadas, J. van Prehn, M. Falcone, F. Fitzpatrick, M.J.G.T. Vehreschild, E.J. Kuijper, E. Bouza, On behalf ofthe European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group on Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD), Study Group for Host and Microbiota interaction (ESGHAMI)
ESCMID: 2021 update on the treatment guidance document for Clostridioides difficile infection in adults
Joffrey van Prehn, Elena Reigadas, Erik H Vogelzang, Emilio Bouza, Adriana Hristea, Benoit Guery, Marcela Krutova, Torbjorn Norén, Franz Allerberger, John E Coia, Abraham Goorhuis, Tessel M van Rossen, Rogier E Ooijevaar, Karen Burns, Bente R Scharvik Olesen, Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Mark H Wilcox, Maria J G T Vehreschild, Fidelma Fitzpatrick, Ed J Kuijper, Guideline Committee of the European Study Group on Clostridioides difficile
2020
- The emergence of Clostridium difficile ribotypes 027 and 176 with a predominance of the Clostridium difficile ribotype 001 recognized in Slovakia following the European standardized Clostridium difficile infection surveillance of 2016.
Novakova E, Stefkovicova M, Kopilec MG, et al. Int J Infect Dis 2020 doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.10.038. - Five-year Pan-European, longitudinal surveillance of Clostridium difficile ribotype prevalence and antimicrobial resistance: the extended ClosER study.
Freeman J, Vernon J, Pilling S, et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 doi: 10.1007/s10096-019-03708-7. - Clostridioides difficile ribotypes 001 and 126 were predominant in Tehran healthcare settings from 2004 to 2018: a 14-year-long cross-sectional study.
Azimirad M, Krutova M, Yadegar A et al. Emerg Microbes Infect 2020; 9:1432-1443. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1780949 - An Outbreak of Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile Infections within an Acute and Long-Term Care Wards Due to Moxifloxacin-Resistant PCR Ribotype 176 Genotyped as PCR Ribotype 027 by a Commercial Assay. Novakova E, Kotlebova N, Gryndlerova A et al. J Clin Med 2020 20; 9:3738. doi: 10.3390/jcm9113738.
- Diagnostic and therapy of severe Clostridioides difficile infections in the ICU.
Guery B, Barbut F, Tschudin-Sutter S Curr Opin Crit Care 2020 ;26: 450-458. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000000753. - COVID-19 and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI): Possible implications for elderly patients.
Spigaglia P Anaerobe 2020; 64: 102233. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102233. - Molecular characterization of pathogenicity locus (PaLoc) and tcdC genetic diversity among tcdA+B+Clostridioides difficile clinical isolates in Tehran, Iran.
Kodoriab M, Ghalavanda Z, Yadegar A et al. Anaerobe 2020; 67: 102294. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102294.
2019
- A two-step approach for the investigation of a Clostridium difficile outbreak by molecular methods.
Krutova M, Wilcox MH, Kuijper EJ. Clin Microbiol Infect 2019; 25(11):1300-1301. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.07.022. - The emergence of metronidazole and vancomycin reduced susceptibility in Clostridium difficile isolates in Iran.
Kouhsari E, Douraghi M, Krutova M, et al. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2019;18:28-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jgar.2019.01.027.
2018
- The pitfalls of laboratory diagnostics of Clostridium difficile infection.
Krutova M, Wilcox MH, Kuijper EJ. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:682-683. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.02.026. - The ESCMID Study Group for Clostridium difficile: History, Role and Perspectives.
Coia JE, Kuijper EJ. Adv Exp Med Biol 2018;1050:245-254. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-72799-8_14. - New insights into transmission of Clostridium difficile infection—narrative review.
Durovic A, Widmer AF, Tschudin-Sutter S. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:483-492. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.01.027 - How to: Surveillance of Clostridium difficile infections.
Krutova M, Kinross P, Barbut F, et al. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:469-475. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.12.008 - How to: diagnose infection caused by Clostridium difficile.
Gateau C, Couturier J, Coia J, Barbut F. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:463-468. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.12.005 - C. difficile infection - Can we do better?
Coia J. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:450-451. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.12.009. - Microbiologic factors affecting Clostridium difficile recurrence.
Chilton CH, Pickering DS, Freeman J. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018;24:476-482. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.11.017. - Trends in mortality following Clostridium difficile infection in Scotland, 2010-2016:
a retrospective cohort and case-control study.
Banks A, Moore EK, Bishop J, et al. J Hosp Infect 2018;100:133-141. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2018.07.023.
Guidance document for prevention of Clostridium difficile infection in acute healthcare settings
Tschudin-Sutter S, Kuijper EJ, Durovic A, Vehreschild MJGT, Barbut F, Eckert C, Fitzpatrick F, Hell M, Norèn T, O'Driscoll J, Coia J, Gastmeier P, von Müller L, Wilcox MH, Widmer AF; Committee. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018 Oct 24.

Updates on Clostridium difficile in Europe
This book outlines the currently available clinical, epidemiological and experimental data on Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with special emphasis on studies and results achieved in Europe. The book includes a summary of the history and the achievements of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group for Clostridium difficile (ESGCD) written by the current and past presidents of the Society. It is the aim of this book to raise awareness on CDI and to disseminate updated information on its prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
link to the book here
CMI Theme Issue
This themed issue of CMI "C. difficile infection - Can we do better?" includes 5 reviews of C. difficile and an editorial produced by the ESGCD.
See the issue here
2016
Guidelines articles by ESGCD: Update of the diagnostic guidance document for Clostridioides difficile infection
This document has been published as supplement to ESCMID's society journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection: Vol 22, S4, pages S63–S81, August 2016.
All details and links to the free full text in the chapter Medical Guidelines
2013

Guidelines article by ESGCD: Update on treatment of CDI
This document has been published as supplement to ESCMID's society journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection: Vol 20, I s2, pages 1–26, March 2014.
All details and links to the free full text in the chapter Medical Guidelines
Duodenal Infusion of Donor Feces for Recurrent Clostridioides difficile
Els van Nood, Anne Vrieze, Max Nieuwdorp, Susana Fuentes, Erwin G. Zoetendal, Willem M. de Vos, Caroline E. Visser, Ed J. Kuijper, Joep F.W.M. Bartelsman, Jan G.P. Tijssen, Peter Speelman, Marcel G.W. Dijkgraaf, and Josbert J. Keller. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print]
2012

ESCMID PGTW Anaerobes in Health and Disease
Jointly organised with the anaerobe infection group (ESGAI)
Szeged, Hungary, June 2012
Emergence and global spread of epidemic healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile
He M, Miyajima F, Roberts P, Ellison L, Pickard DJ, Martin MJ, Connor TR, Harris SR, Fairley D, Bamford KB, D'Arc S, Brazier J, Brown D, Coia JE, Douce G, Gerding D, Kim HJ, Koh TH, Kato H, Senoh M, Louie T, Michell S, Butt E, Peacock SJ, Brown NM, Riley T, Songer G, Wilcox M, Pirmohamed M, Kuijper E, Hawkey P, Wren BW, Dougan G, Parkhill J, Lawley TD. Nat Genet. 2012 Dec 9. doi: 10.1038/ng.2478. [Epub ahead of print]
2009

CMI Theme Section
Still difficult; clinical practice guidelines for Clostridioides difficile infection
These ESCMID clinical guidelines concern diagnosis and management of CDI and CDAD.
CMI content are freely available for ESCMID members. Please log in or register.
2008
ESGCD/ECDC medical guidelines
Infection control measures to limit the spread of Clostridioides difficile.
Fluoroquinolone resistance in Clostridioides difficile isolates from a prospective study of C. difficile infections in Europe.
Spigaglia P, Barbanti F, Mastrantonio P, Brazier JS, Barbut F, Delmée M, Kijper E, Poxton IR; ESCMID Study Group on Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD). J Med Microbiol. 2008; 57:784-9
First confirmed cases of Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 027 in Norway.
Update on epidemiology of C. difficile in Europe, March 10th, 2008 Ingebretsen A Hansen C, Harmanus C, Kuijper EJ. Euro Surveill 2008;13(2)
2007
A case of Clostridioides difficile-associated disease due to the highly virulent clone of Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 027.
Zaiss NH, Weile J, Ackermann G, Kuijper E, Witte W, Nüebel U. March 2007 in Germany. Euro Surveill. 2007;12:E071115.1
Prospective study of Clostridioides difficile infections in Europe with phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of the isolates.
Barbut F, Mastrantonio P, Delmée M, Brazier J, Kuijper E, Poxton I; European Study Group on Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD). Clin Microbiol Infect. 2007;13:1048-57.
Update of Clostridioides difficile-associated disease due to PCR ribotype 027 in Europe.
Kuijper EJ, Coignard B, Brazier JS, Suetens C, Drudy D, Wiuff C, Pituch H, Reichert P, Schneider F, Widmer AF, Olsen KE, Allerberger F, Notermans DW, Barbut F, Delmée M, Wilcox M, Pearson A, Patel BC, Brown DJ, Frei R, Akerlund T, Poxton IR, Tüll P. Euro Surveill. 2007 Jun 1;12(6):E1-2.
Clostridioides difficile: changing epidemiology and new treatment options.
Kuijper EJ, van Dissel JT, Wilcox MH. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2007;20:376-83. Review
First isolation of Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 027 in Finland
Lyytikäinen O, Mentula S, Könönen E, Kotila S, Tarkka E, Anttila VJ, Mattila E, Kanerva M, Vaara M, Valtonen V. Euro Surveill. 2007 Nov 8;12(11):E071108.2
Confirmed cases and report of clusters of severe infections due to Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 027 in Germany
Kleinkauf N, Weiss B, Jansen A, Eckmanns T, Bornhofen B, Küehnen E, Weil HP, Michels H. Euro Surveill. 2007 Nov 15;12(11):E071115.2
Characteristics and incidence of Clostridioides difficile-associated disease in The Netherlands, 2005.
Paltansing S, van den Berg RJ, Guseinova RA, Visser CE, van der Vorm ER, Kuijper EJ. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2007:13:1058-64
First isolation and report of clusters of Clostridioides difficile PCR 027 cases in Ireland
Long S, Fenelon L, Fitzgerald S, Nolan N, Burns K, Hannan M, Kyne L, Fanning S, Drudy D. Euro Surveill. 2007 Apr 26;12(4):E070426.3
Distribution of Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 027 in British hospitals
Brazier JS, Patel B, Pearson A. Euro Surveill. 2007 Apr 26;12(4):E070426.2
Spread and epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile polymerase chain reaction ribotype 027/toxinotype III in The Netherlands.
Goorhuis A, Van der Kooi T, Vaessen N, Dekker FW, Van den Berg R, Harmanus C, van den Hof S, Notermans DW, Kuijper EJ. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;45:695-703
Emergence of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea in Europe.
Emergence of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea in Europe (December 2007) Ed J. Kuijper, D. Notermans and I. Poxton, also on behalf of the ESCMID Study Group for Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD)
European surveillance of Clostridioides difficile-associated disease
Presentation of Dr. Fred Barbut (Paris) at the ECCMID 2006, Nice on the European prospective study of Clostridioides difficile strains: phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolates from different clinical status: interim results
F. Barbut, P. Mastrantonio, M. Delmée, G. Ackermann, E. Bouza, C. Balmelli, D. Drudy, E. Kuijper, H. Ladas, E. Nagy, H. Pituch, M. Somolinos, E. Urban, M. Wullt, M. Yücesoy, M. Rupnik and I. Poxton for the European Study Group on Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD)
Emergence of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea in Northern America and Europe
7 March 2006
Recently, a review has been published by ESGCD in collaboration with ECDC as a supplement of Clinical Microbiology and Infection (Kuijper EJ, Coignard B, Tüll P. Clin Microbiol. Infect 2006; 12: Suppl.6;2-18). Reprints are availaibe from Ed Kuijper.
2005
J. Med. Microbiol., 2005, 54, Issue 2
Issue with selected papers presented at the First International Clostridioides difficile Symposium (FICDS)
Clostridioides difficile (Editorial)
Ian R Poxton
Editorial
Topics of this special issue:
Alternative treatments for Clostridioides difficile disease: what really works?
Lynne V McFarland
Revised nomenclature of Clostridioides difficile toxins and associated genes
Maja Rupnik, Bruno Dupuy, Neil F Fairweather, Dale N Gerding, Stuart Johnson, Ingo Just, David M Lyerly, Michel R Popoff, Julian I Rood, Abraham L Sonenshein, Monica Thelestam, Brendan W Wren, Tracy D Wilkins, and Christoph von Eichel-Streiber
Quorum sensing in Clostridioides difficile: analysis of a luxS-type signalling system
Glen P Carter, Des Purdy, Paul Williams, and Nigel P Minton
Effect of phage infection on toxin production by Clostridioides difficile
Shan Goh, Barbara J Chang, and Thomas V RileyGeneration of an erythromycin-sensitive derivative of Clostridioides difficile strain 630 (630 erm) and demonstration that the conjugative transposon Tn916 E enters the genome of this strain at multiple sites
Haitham A Hussain, Adam P Roberts, and Peter Mullany
Detection of binary-toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB) among Clostridioides difficile C. difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) in Poland
strains isolated from patients withHanna Pituch, Maja Rupnik, Piotr Obuch-Woszczatynski, Ana Grubesic, Felicja Meisel-Mikolajczyk, and Miroslaw Luczak
Prevalence and characteristics of bacteria and host factors in an outbreak situation of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
Grit Ackermann, Susanne Thomalla, Frank Ackermann, Reiner Schaumann, Arne C Rodloff, and Bernhard R Ruf
An improved protocol for pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of Clostridioides difficile
R Alonso, A Martín, T Peláez, M Marín, M Rodríguez-Creixéms, and E BouzaToxigenic status of Clostridioides difficile in a large Spanish teaching hospital
R Alonso, A Martín, T Peláez, M Marín, M Rodríguez-Creixéms, and E Bouza
PCR ribotyping of Clostridioides difficile isolates originating from human and animal sources
Luis G Arroyo, Stephen A Kruth, Barbara M Willey, Henry R Staempfli, Don E Low, and J Scott Weese
Typing by sequencing the slpA gene of Clostridioides difficile strains causing multiple outbreaks in Japan
Haru Kato, Toshiyuki Yokoyama, and Yoshichika Arakawa
Coexistence of multiple PCR-ribotype strains of Clostridioides difficile in faecal samples limits epidemiological studies
Renate J van den Berg, Hadi AA Ameen, Takahiro Furusawa, Eric CJ Claas, Eric R van der Vorm, and Ed J Kuijper
Clinical features of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea due to binary toxin (actin-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase)-producing strains
Frédéric Barbut, Dominique Decré, Valérie Lalande, Béatrice Burghoffer, Latifa Noussair, Anne Gigandon, Florence Espinasse, Laurent Raskine, Jérome Robert, Alain Mangeol, Catherine Branger, and Jean-Claude Petit
Laboratory diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea: a plea for culture
Michel Delmée, Johan Van Broeck, Anne Simon, Michèle Janssens, and Véronique Avesani
Immunological properties of surface proteins of Clostridioides difficile
Séverine Péchiné, Aude Gleizes, Claire Janoir, Roseline Gorges-Kergot, Marie-Claude Barc, Michel Delmée, and Anne CollignonBovine antibody-enriched whey to aid in the prevention of a relapse of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea: preclinical and preliminary clinical data
Jaap T van Dissel, Nanda de Groot, Charles MH Hensgens, Sandra Numan, Ed J Kuijper, Peter Veldkamp, and Jan van 't Wout
Clostridioides difficile ribotype 027, toxinotype III, the Netherlands.
25 September 2005
Ed Kuijper, R. van den Berg, S. Debast, C.E.Visser, D. Veenedaal, S. van den Hof and Daan Notermans
Summary: Outbreaks due to Clostridioides difficile 027 have been detected in 7 hospitals in the Netherlands, involving more than 200 patients. Physicians report on a more severe couse of the disease and a lack of reponse to conventional therapy. The outbreaks are difficult to control. C. difficile 027 has also been isolated from patients with endemic forms of CDAD in two university hospitals.
Revised nomenclature of Clostridioides difficile toxins and associated genes.
Revised nomenclature of Clostridioides difficile toxins and associated genes. At the recent First International C. difficile Symposium (FICDS, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, May 2004), a round table discussion on C. difficile toxins and toxin gene nomenclature was held. Paper which summarizes the new nomenclature agreed to by the research groups currently active in the field, was published in J. Med. Microbiol., 2005, 54: 113-117.
Outbreak in North America due to a new epidemic A+B+CDT+ strain
During the period from 2001 to 2004 increased rates and severity of C. difficile disease were observed in several US and Canadian hospitals (1, 2, 4, 5). Data from the US (see downloadable file below) indicate the presence of an epidemic strain that predominates in 6 of 7 studied hospitals (3) and preliminary studies have suggested that this strain may also be responsible for the Canadian outbreak (Canadian Press, October 13th, 2004).
The epidemic strain belongs to toxinotype III and REA type BI and has changes in the tcdA, tcdB and tcdC genes. It also produces an additional toxin, binary toxin CDT, so far found only in 2 to 20 % of clinical isolate surveys. Strains with the identical REA typing profile were documented in 1984. However, since then only 14 strains were included in the Chicago REA database maintained by Dr. Dale Gerding. Comparison of these historic isolates with new epidemic isolates has revealed development of fluoroquinolone resistance in the epidemic strain.
So far there is no report of similar outbreaks in Europe. Strains from toxinotype III were described in the two largest European collections from Cardiff (J. Brazier, strains ribotyped) and Brussels (M. Delmee, strains serotyped) (6, 7). Similar to the findings in the Chicago collection (D. Gerding, strains REA typed), toxinotype III strains were rare in the European collections.
Sources:
Dale Gerding and Stuart Johnson, personal communication.
Eggertson L. C. difficile hits Sherbrooke, Que., hospital: 100 deaths. CMAJ. 2004 Aug 31;171(5):436.
McDonald LC, Killgore GE, Thompson A, Johnson S, Gerding DN, and The Clostridioides difficile Investigation Team. Emergence of an Epidemic Strain of Clostridioides difficile in the United States, 2001-4: Potential Role for Virulence Factors and Antimicrobial Resistance Traits. Infectious Diseases Society of America 42th Annual Meeting. Boston, MA, September 30 - October 3, 2004. Abstract# LB-2.
Pepin J, Valiquette L, Alary ME, Villemure P, Pelletier A, Forget K, Pepin K, Chouinard D. Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhea in a region of Quebec from 1991 to 2003: a changing pattern of disease severity. CMAJ. 2004 Aug 31;171(5):466-72.
Pindera L. Quebec to report on Clostridioides difficile in 2005. CMAJ. 2004 Sep 28;171(7):715.
Rupnik, M., Avesani, V., Janc, M., Eichel-Streiber, C.v. and Delmée M. (1998) A novel toxinotyping scheme and the correlation to serogrouping of Clostridioides difficile isolates, J. Clin. Microbiol., 36: 2240-2247.
Rupnik, M., Brazier, J. S., Duerden, B. I., Grabnar, M., and Stubbs, S. L. (2001) Comparison of toxinotyping and PCR ribotyping of Clostridioides difficile
strains and description of novel toxinotypes. Microbiology (UK), 147: 439-447.
2003
A European survey of diagnostic methods and testing protocols for Clostridioides difficile.
The Study Group has performed the survey "Diagnostic of C. difficile in Europe". The summary of results is available as presentation slides for download. This was published in CMI: Barbut F, Delmee M, Brazier JS et al. A European survey of diagnostic methods and testing protocols for Clostridioides difficile. Clin Microbiol Infect 2003; 9: 989-996.