Re-examining Novel Risk Factors for Community-Acquired Clostridioides difficile : A Multimodal Approach

Clicks: 12
ID: 329396
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #294 of 316 articles by views in Open forum infectious diseases

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 316 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Background Geospatial surveys have identified livestock operations as potential sources for community-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection. Confirmatory studies integrating individual-level risk factors, geospatial data, and environmental surveys are limited. Methods We conducted two parallel studies: 1) a case control assessment of C. difficile risk associated with livestock and 2) a microbiologic survey of surface waters and wastewater influent for C. difficile. For aim 1, adult residents of North Carolina tested for C. difficile through Duke University Health System from March 2020 to December 2025 were included. Tests sent after day 3 of hospitalization (presumed hospital-onset) were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to assess C. difficile risk associated with livestock operations while adjusting for age, comorbidities, antibiotic receipt, and hospital contact. For aim 2, samples collected from three surface water and two municipal wastewater sites in North Carolina from April 2022 to October 2023 were tested for C. difficile gene targets by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results The case-control cohort included 26,195 tests from 21,045 unique subjects, 3,835 (14.6%) of which were positive for C. difficile by nucleic acid amplification testing. Residence in the same watershed as commercial swine operations was associated with C. difficile risk (adjusted odds ratio 1.11, 95% CI 1.00-1.23, p=0.04). While C. difficile gene targets were ubiquitous in municipal wastewater, they were not detected in three regional surface waters. Conclusion Swine operations were associated with C. difficile risk even after adjustment for individual-level risk factors. C. difficile detection in water varies by source.
Reference Key
openalex_W7213985563 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Nicholas Turner, Angela Harris, Benjamin Clark, Bobby Glenn Warren, Aaron Barrett, Judith S. Kays, Deverick John Anderson
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal Open forum infectious diseases
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/ofid/ofag598
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofag598
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.