Diversity of toxin genotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens isolates from feces of infants

• Published in: Germs (Bucureşti) Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 28 - 34
• Main Authors: Al Radaideh, Alaa J, Badran, Eman F, Shehabi, Asem A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Romania Asociatia pentru Cresterea Vizibilitatii Cercetarii Stiintifice (ACVCS) 01.03.2019; European HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases Academy; Asociația pentru Creşterea Vizibilității Cercetării Ştiințifice (ACVCS)
• Subjects: Antibacterial agents; Antimicrobial agents; Antiprotozoan agents; Birth weight; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Diarrhea; DNA; Drug resistance; Epidemiology; Erythromycin; Feces; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic research; Genotypes; Identification; Infants; Intensive care; Levofloxacin; Metronidazole; Neonatal intensive care; Newborn infants; Original; Plasmids; Studies; Toxins; Vancomycin; United States > US; toxins genotypes; antimicrobial resistance; infants feces; Clostridium perfringens
• ISSN: 2248-2997; 2248-2997
• DOI: 10.18683/germs.2019.1154

This study investigated the most important epidemiological characteristics of strains colonizing the intestine of Jordanian infants. A total of 302 fecal samples were collected from Jordanian infants aged ≤ 1 year from patients hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and from the outpatient department. Samples were cultured for detection of and evaluation of their antimicrobial resistance; identification of their potential toxins genes was performed using PCR. Overall the colonization rate was 27.2% (82/302). Infants aged ≤ 6 months showed significantly higher (p<0.004) colonization than older infants. The occurrence rates of isolates carrying potential specific toxin genes were as follows: alpha toxin 95.1% (78/82), beta-2 toxin 69.5% (57/82), beta toxin 14.6% (12/82), and only 2.4% (2/82) epsilon toxin. No isolate carried the iota toxin. Genotype A was the most prevalent among isolates (78.1%). The antimicrobial resistance rates of isolates were 20% to metronidazole and erythromycin, 16.7% to levofloxacin, and 6.7% to vancomycin. This study demonstrates that the majority of isolates from feces of Jordanian infants were classified as type A, few isolates were classified as type C and type D, and all were negative for potential enterotoxin genes causing diarrhea.