Clostridioides difficile infection in animals: a literature review

Abstract

Clostridioides difficile affects humans, and several other animal species, such as horses, pigs, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits. This microorganism has also been isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of healthy individuals of a wide variety of animal species in which its association with disease is not known. Traditionally, in most domestic animal species, C. difficile-infection disease (CDI) was antibiotic-associated, although in the past few years more cases in which no antibiotic association was known have been described. In addition, no antibiotic association has been described in pigs. In most animals CDI is not age-associated, although in pigs, the disease is seen almost exclusively in neonatal animals. In horses CDI is highly prevalent, and suggested predisposing factors, in addition to antibiotic treatment and hospitalization, include co-infections with other bacteria or parasites, intestinal displacements, transportation, surgical or medical treatment and nasogastric intubation. Although in recent years a substantial amount of evidence has been provided suggesting that CDI is a zoonosis, definitive evidence in this regard is lacking.