Advances in Infection Control for Clostridioides (Formerly Clostridium) difficile Infection

Abstract

Purpose of reviewWe reviewed seminal papers and recently published articles discussing multiple aspects of infection prevention applied to Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI).Recent findingsWe identified hot topics including the importance of understanding the gut microbiome in CDI and its implications from an infection prevention perspective, the increasing role of antibiotic stewardship including testing stewardship in preventing and mitigating CDI, and the increasing role of clinical decision support systems to improve early diagnosis and decrease inappropriate testing.SummaryIn addition to established infection prevention interventions, CDI control will be achieved by a combination of gut microbiome manipulation, personalized medicine based on host and agent genome analysis, and a combination of antimicrobials and testing stewardship by leveraging progressively sophisticated electronic decision systems. Automated environmental decontamination systems are not routinely recommended at this time.