Resumen de Transmission of Clostridium difficile in Foods

Dallas G. Hoover, Alexander Rodriguez Palacios

• Clostridium difficile is a human intestinal pathogen most frequently involved in diarrheal illnesses following the administration of antibiotics. There is growing concern that some C difficile infections (CDI) may be acquired from ingestion of C difficile spores in contaminated foods. The number of CDI cases is increasing with a heightening in the severity of disease symptoms and an increasing number of community-associated infections not connected to health care�associated risk. This article provides an overview of information related to assessing the risk of foodborne transmission of CDI, highlighting studies on C difficile relevant to food safety in health care settings.