[Rate of isolation of "C. difficile" from stools of hospitalized patients: susceptibility of 75 strains (author's transl)].

Seventy-five strains of Clostridium difficile were recovered from 1,276 stools from patients. Fifty-six of these strains were found to be toxigenic. The rate of isolation of C. difficile was high in culture of stools from patients in surgical intensive care units and in pediatrics units. The susceptibility of these isolates to 13 antimicrobial agents was tested by agar dilution technics. Vancomycin, metronidazole, penicillin and ampicillin at 4 micrograms/ml inhibited all the strains. Cefoxitin, cefotaxim and lincomycin were never active against C. difficile. Only 13.3% of the strains were inhibited by clindamycin at 4 micrograms/ml.