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Antibiotics
Special Issues
Emerging Topics in Clostridioides difficile Infection: A One Health Problem
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Emerging Topics in Clostridioides difficile Infection: A One Health Problem

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotic Therapy in Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 4080

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Simon D. Baines

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical & Biological Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
Interests: clostridioides difficile; in vitro/models; gut microbiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains a substantial worldwide burden on healthcare systems, despite significant research and investment over the past four decades. We extend a warm invitation for comprehensive studies focusing on C. difficile isolation, characterization, and epidemiology in humans, animals, and the environment.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: AMR transmission and assessment, environmental sampling, animal transmission/infection studies, antimicrobial prescribing studies and their effect on C. difficile infection, transmission and carriage in humans and animals, and assessment of C. difficile contamination of foodstuffs. We also welcome submissions involving fundamental science laboratory studies, in vivo animal and human studies, or modeling studies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Simon D. Baines
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • clostridium difficile infection (CDI)
  • antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
  • antimicrobial prescribing
  • one health
  • laboratory studies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 271 KiB  
Article
An Investigation into the Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in Irish Pig Abattoirs and Pork Meat Products as a Potential Source of Human Infection
by Aoife Doyle, Thomas R. Rogers, Declan Bolton, Catherine M. Burgess, Paul Whyte, Jesus Frias, Séamus Fanning and Máire C. McElroy
Antibiotics 2025, 14(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020151 - 4 Feb 2025
Viewed by 874
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), once considered a predominantly nosocomial pathogen, is increasingly implicated in community-acquired infections (CA-CDIs). This study investigates the prevalence, ribotypes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of C. difficile in Irish pork products and abattoirs, with a focus on the potential [...] Read more.
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), once considered a predominantly nosocomial pathogen, is increasingly implicated in community-acquired infections (CA-CDIs). This study investigates the prevalence, ribotypes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of C. difficile in Irish pork products and abattoirs, with a focus on the potential public health implications. A total of 180 retail pork products and 150 pig carcase swabs from three abattoirs were examined, alongside 30 environmental lairage samples. The C. difficile isolates were characterised through ribotyping and tested in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility. No C. difficile was isolated from the retail pork, while the carcase swabs yielded a low recovery rate (0.66%). However, the lairage areas were contaminated with C. difficile (33%), and six different ribotypes were identified, including the clinically relevant RT078. The ribotypes exhibited susceptibility to the antibiotics used to treat C. difficile infection (CDI) (fidaxomicin, vancomycin, and metronidazole) but showed resistance to tetracycline (9%) and ciprofloxacin (100%). These findings align with the international findings on antimicrobial resistance in C. difficile and suggest that strict EU food safety standards could mitigate retail pork contamination risks. Nevertheless, the environmental exposure during slaughtering and handling processes presents potential transmission risks for workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Clostridioides difficile Infection: A One Health Problem)

Review

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14 pages, 654 KiB  
Review
Environmental and Nutritional Parameters Modulating Genetic Expression for Virulence Factors of Clostridioides difficile
by Zoe Masset, Sathursha Gunaratnam, Mathieu Millette, Lynne V. McFarland and Monique Lacroix
Antibiotics 2024, 13(4), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13040365 - 16 Apr 2024
Viewed by 2330
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) continue to be a persistent healthcare concern despite newer antibiotic treatments, enhanced infection control practices, and preventive strategies focused on restoring the protective intestinal microbial barrier. Recent strides in gene sequencing research have identified many genes regulating diverse virulence [...] Read more.
Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) continue to be a persistent healthcare concern despite newer antibiotic treatments, enhanced infection control practices, and preventive strategies focused on restoring the protective intestinal microbial barrier. Recent strides in gene sequencing research have identified many genes regulating diverse virulence factors for CDIs. These genes may be over- or under-expressed when triggered by various environmental and nutritional factors. The aims of this paper are to review the important genes involved in C. difficile pathogenesis and to identify modifiable environmental, nutritional, and other factors that may trigger the expression of these genes and thus offer new strategies to prevent CDIs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Clostridioides difficile Infection: A One Health Problem)
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