Clostridium difficile infection in a geriatric ward.

In a prospective, longitudinal study we searched for the presence of Clostridium difficile in the stools of 100 consecutively hospitalized elderly patients (mean age: 82; SD: 9.5 years). C. difficile was found on admission in 6 patients, 3 of whom were asymptomatic carriers. Ten patients acquired C. difficile during hospitalization. Four different types of C. difficile were isolated. The various types were clustered in time, indicating that the infection was acquired from the environment.