Assessment of the potential risk of infection associated with Clostridium difficile from porcine xenografts

0335551 - ÚMG 2010 RIV SG eng J - Journal Article
Bakri, M.M. - Sutherland, A.D. - Brown, D.J. - Veselý, Pavel - Crossan, C. - Scobie, L.
Assessment of the potential risk of infection associated with Clostridium difficile from porcine xenografts.
Xenotransplantation. Roč. 16, č. 6 (2009), s. 472-476. ISSN 0908-665X. E-ISSN 1399-3089
Grant - others:EC(XE) LSHB-CT-2006-037377
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50520514
Keywords : C. difficile * hospital acquired infection * xenotransplant * zoonoses
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 2.711, year: 2009

There are numerous concerns over the potential transfer of pathogens between species during clinical xenotransplantation. Porcine xenografts have been previously used to treat patients with severe burns. As pigs are a known source of zoonotic agents, many diseases must be excluded from pigs used for xenotransplantation. Clostridium difficile is a major cause of neonatal enteritis in pigs, with an important feature that pigs can be its asymptomatic carriers. We examined the incidence of C. difficile PCR ribotypes present in healthy donor pigs to determine if pig faeces, and in particular contamination of skin with faeces, is a potential route for the transfer of C. difficile. Animals were found to have human ribotype 017 present in the faecal matter, but no C. difficile was isolated from skin samples taken from the same animals. Also, due to the risk factors associated with C. difficile infection, the antimicrobial susceptibility of the C. difficile isolates has been determined.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0179985