Skip to main content

Table 1 Characteristics of the study patients

From: Bloom and bust: intestinal microbiota dynamics in response to hospital exposures and Clostridium difficile colonization or infection

Variable

Neither C. difficile infection nor colonization (n = 90)

C. difficile infection (n = 4)

C. difficile colonization (n = 4)

Age, mean years (range)

74 (61–91)

71 (66–80)

74 (71–78)

Male sex

44 (49)

2 (50)

2 (50)

Horn’s indexa, median (range)

1 (1–2)

1 (1–1)

1 (1–2)

Duration of hospitalizationb, median days (range)

5 (1–69)

21 (2–61)

5 (1–15)

Hospitalization in past 12 monthsc

11 (12)

0

0

Fecal specimens analyzed, median (range)

2 (1–12)

4 (1–15)

2 (1–4)

Reason for hospital admission

   

 Osteoarthritis/Rheumatoid arthritis

62 (69)

0

1 (25)

 Pneumonia

8 (9)

1 (25)

1 (25)

 Cellulitis

4 (4)

1 (25)

1 (25)

 Fever

2 (2)

0

0

 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

3 (3)

0

0

 Othersd

11 (12)

2 (50)

1 (25)

Medication useb

   

 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

33 (37)

4 (100)

2 (50)

 Proton pump inhibitors

26 (29)

2 (50)

2 (50)

 Glucocorticoids

12 (13)

2 (50)

1 (25)

 Opioids

25 (28)

3 (75)

1 (25)

 Laxatives

16 (18)

3 (75)

0

 Propulsive agents

3 (3)

0

0

 Antipropulsive agents

1 (1)

1 (25)

0

 Chemotherapeutic agents

0

0

1 (25)

 Any antibiotic

80 (89)

4 (100)

4 (100)

 Cephalosporins

60 (67)

1 (25)

1 (25)

 Fluoroquinolones

13 (14)

2 (50)

0

 Penicillin with β-lactamase inhibitors

12 (13)

3 (75)

1 (25)

 Vancomycin (intravenous)

7 (8)

2 (50)

0

 Carbapenems

6 (7)

2 (50)

2 (50)

 Penicillins

5 (6)

0

0

 Azithromycin

4 (4)

1 (25)

0

 Metronidazole

3 (3)

1 (25)

0

 Cotrimoxazole

2 (2)

0

0

 Otherse

2 (2)

3 (75)

0

  1. Data are number (%) of subjects unless otherwise specified
  2. aEvaluated at study enrollment
  3. bFrom admission until diagnosis of C. difficile infection or colonization (for infected and colonized patients, respectively) or until discharge (for patients with neither infection nor colonization)
  4. cInformation about prior hospitalization was unknown for one of the 90 patients with neither C. difficile infection nor colonization
  5. dOther reasons include bladder/kidney/urinary tract infection, closed fracture, urosepsis, cholecystitis, chronic stasis dermatitis, perinephric infection, diverticulitis, abdominal pain, abdominal hernia, ureteral stone, gangrene, and hip pain
  6. eOther antimicrobial agents include oral vancomycin, clindamycin, daptomycin, gentamicin, Tigecycline, antivirals, and antifungals