Quantitative detection of Clostridium difficile in hospital environmental samples by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

A total of 531 samples were collected from the clinical environment. As expected, there were significantly higher counts of C. difficile on the floor and in the near environment of C. difficile patients. However, a significant correlation was found between C. difficile counts on the floor and on the hands of patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) in wards without evidence of C. difficile. This suggests that asymptomatic carriage among patients and HCWs can also contribute towards C. difficile transmission in hospitals. The authors conclude that C. difficile can be transmitted via personal contact or via contaminated areas of the hospital environment. J Hosp Infect. 2009;71(1):43-8.