TABLE 3.

PCR ribotypes of C. difficile and their epidemiology in primary episodes of CDAD indentified in Örebro County during 12 months and classified as nosocomially acquired

Hospital warda	No. of patients per PCR ribotype (no. of index cases)b									Total no. of cases
	SE7b	SE11	SE12	SE17	SE20	SE21	SE21b	SE23a	All
ÖUH
Lung diseases							1 (1)		1 (1)	2
Hematology								1 (1)	1 (1)	2
Geriatrics				2 (2)					2 (2)	4
Nephrology	2 (1)			7 (1)					9 (2)	11
Infectious diseases			2 (2)	8 (3)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	18 (9)	27
ICU						1 (1)			1 (1)	2
Orthopedics				2 (1)					2 (1)	3
LH							1 (1)		1 (1)	2
Nursing home		1 (1)							1 (1)	2
All	2 (1)	1 (1)	2 (2)	19 (7)	2 (1)	3 (2)	4 (3)	3 (2)	36 (19)	55

^aThe wards of geriatrics, nephrology, and infectious diseases were classified as high-incidence wards (see the text).

^bFor designations of ribotypes, see Materials and Methods and Table 1. The first patient in each cluster of CDAD episodes in a ward due to the same PCR ribotype of C. difficile was defined as the index case. CDAD in patients hospitalized on the same ward within 2 months after the index case and excreting C. difficile of an identical PCR ribotype as the index patient was here defined as nosocomially acquired (see the text).

^cPresumed index case plus secondary cases.