Prevalence, genetic characteristics, and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridioides difficile isolates from horses in Korea.

This research article focuses on the prevalence, genetic features, and resistance to antimicrobial drugs shown by Clostridioides difficile bacterium strains found in horses in South Korea. It suggests adverse implications for potential zoonotic transmission and demands strategies to combat the infection.

Objective

This study aims to examine the genetic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Clostridioides difficile from horse fecal samples. Involved methods include testing for various toxin genes, multilocus sequence typing, ribotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

Results and Findings

• Out of 942 samples, 23 contained C. difficile strains associated with diarrhea in young foals. Majority of these were toxigenic (capable of producing toxins).
• The isolates showed susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics, metronidazole and vancomycin. In contrast, they showed resistance to cefotaxime and gentamicin, with most of them being classified as multidrug resistant (MDR).
• The study identified the most common genotype to be RT078/ST11/Clade 5. This genotype is found in both humans and animals worldwide, and strains of this genotype showed toxigenicity and deletions of the tcdC gene.
• A significant proportion (63.6%) of the most common genotype strains were also identified as MDR.

Conclusions and Implications

• The study points to a significant presence of C. difficile in horses, most of them being toxigenic and multidrug-resistant.
• Similarities in the genetic properties between human and animal C. difficile isolates suggest a high possibility for zoonotic transmissions.
• These findings provide valuable insights for developing strategies regarding the treatment and prevention of C. difficile infections.

Understanding the genetic makeup and resistance patterns of C. difficile is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies and preventive measures against infection. This study adds important knowledge by detailing such characteristics for isolates gleaned from a substantial number of horse samples.