During a surveillance study at Veteran Affairs facilities, researchers identified a newly recognized strain of Clostridioides difficile that is highly resistant to the antibiotic clindamycin, the CDC reports.
In 2012, researchers conducted a surveillance study of C. diff at two VA long-term care facilities and their affiliated acute care facilities. They detected a clonal outbreak of C. diff at one of the long-term care facilities and its acute care facility. Fifteen patients were infected with the strain.
The strain was initially identified as the epidemic strain BI/RT027, which is associated with several healthcare facility outbreaks. But after further testing, researchers identified the strain as restriction endonuclease analysis group DQ, ribotype 5.
Among C. diff infections that developed because of the new strain, 43 percent classified as severe in accordance with Infectious Diseases Society of America and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America guidelines.
The strain is resistant to clindamycin but is susceptible to moxifloxacin, another antibiotic.