Ribotyping in the detection of Clostridium difficile outbreaks in a single university hospital.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most important bacterial cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. Although reports of deaths associated with CDI have been decreasing since a peak in 2007 in England and Northern Ireland, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The Health Protection Agency's Clostridium difficile Ribotyping Network (CDRN) aims to provide information to help optimize the management of cases of CDI. This study assesses the value of ribotyping to detect outbreaks of potential strains causing severe disease.