The risk of clostridium difficile as a foodborne pathogen

Abstract

Clostridium difficile (Clostridioides difficile) is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics that manifest in symptoms ranging from mild to moderate diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis in humans. The pathogenicity of C.difficile is primarily associated with its ability to produce toxin A and toxin B. It is also known as a nosocomial pathogen since symptoms are often seen in elderly individuals who have received antibiotic treatment and hospitalized. However, in recent years, C. difficile-related infections have started to occur in young people who have not received antibiotics or hospital treatment, indicating that the source of the disease may be from outside the hospital. The isolation of the agent from water, fertilizer, soil, animals, animal foods, and vegetables supports this view. The genotypic similarities of C. difficile strains obtained from food products with clinical isolates indicate that foods can be one of the sources of C. difficile infection. C. difficile is a risk in non-heat treated foods (e.g., lettuce) and undercooked shellfish (e.g., mussels). Besides, since it is a spore-forming bacteria, the risk of the products consumed by cooking is not eliminated. In this chapter, the place of food sources among the causes of the increase in C. difficile infections and associated control methods will be discussed.