Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients infected with Clostridium difficile tcdA-positive tcdB-positive (A+B+) strains and with tcdA-negative tcdB-positive (A-B+) strains
| A+B+ (n = 105) | A-B+ (n = 22) | p value a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (female) |
N (%) |
54 (51.4) |
8 (36.4) |
0.244 |
| Age |
Mean (SD) |
65.2 (15.10) |
58.5 (19.12) |
0.143 |
| Length of hospital stay |
Mean (SD) |
34.8 (44.41) |
24.3 (21.20) |
0.583 |
| Charlson score |
Mean (SD) |
3.17 (2.482) |
2.50 (2.345) |
0.172 |
| Underlying disease | ||||
| COPD |
N (%) |
8 (7.6) |
5 (22.7) |
0.049 |
| CVA |
N (%) |
28 (26.7) |
2 (9.1) |
0.100 |
| Surgical procedure |
N (%) |
28 (26.7) |
2 (9.1) |
0.100 |
| Severity score |
Mean (SD) |
0.96 (0.746) |
1.00 (0.873) |
0.961 |
| Old age b |
N (%) |
67 (63.8) |
12 (54.5) |
0.472 |
| Fever c |
N (%) |
10 (9.5) |
5 (22.7) |
0.137 |
| Hypoalbuminemia d |
N (%) |
10 (9.5) |
1 (4.5) |
0.688 |
| Leukocytosis e |
N (%) |
14 (13.3) |
4 (18.2) |
0.515 |
| Severe CDI f |
N (%) |
20 (19.0) |
4 (18.2) |
0.925 |
| Clinical findings | ||||
| Pain |
N (%) |
25 (23.8) |
10 (45.5) |
0.063 |
| Tenderness |
N (%) |
36 (34.3) |
10 (45.5) |
0.338 |
| Stool Fr ≥10/day |
N (%) |
21 (20.4) |
2 (9.1) |
0.362 |
| Mucoid stool |
N (%) |
19 (18.1) |
8 (36.4) |
0.083 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| WBC (cells/mm3) |
Mean (SD) |
10892 (5527) |
10263 (7746) |
0.239 |
| Albumin (mg/dL) |
Mean (SD) |
3.1 (0.57) |
3.4 (0.53) |
0.073 |
| CRP (mg/dL) |
Mean (SD) |
7.40 (6.397) |
5.98 (6.194) |
0.139 |
| Pseudomembrane g | N (%) | 10/26 (38.5) | 2/5 (40.0) | |
A+B+, tcdA-positive tcdB-positive strain; A-B+, tcdA-negative tcdB-positive strain; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVA, cerebrovascular accident; ICU, intensive care unit; Fr, frequency; CDI, Clostridium difficile infection; WBC, white blood cell; CRP, C-reactive protein.
a From Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables or the Mann–Whitney U-test for continuous variables.
b Defined as age >60 years.
c Defined as temperature >38.3°C.
d Defined as albumin level <2.5 mg/dL.
e Defined as a WBC count >15,000 cells/mm.3
f Severity scores >2 points were regarded as severe CDI.
g Denominator comprises patients examined by endoscopy.