Clostridium difficile is a well documented
cause of antibiotic associated diarrhoea in
hospitalised patients, but may account for
only approximately 20% of all cases. This
leader reviews the current knowledge and
understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology,
and diagnosis of non-food borne
Clostridium perfringens diarrhoea. Although
enterotoxigenic C perfringens has
been implicated in some C difficile negative
cases of antibiotic associated diarrhoea,
C perfringens enterotoxin detection
methods are not part of the routine
laboratory investigation of such cases.
Testing for C perfringens enterotoxin in
faecal samples from patients with antibiotic
associated diarrhoea and sporadic
diarrhoea on a routine basis would have
considerable resource implications.
Therefore, criteria for initiating investigations
and optimum laboratory tests need
to be established. In addition, establishing
the true burden of C perfringens antibiotic
associated diarrhoea is important
before optimum control and treatment
measures can be defined
