Table 3.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of hospital patients infected with ST81 and non-ST81 C. difficile.
| Variable | ST81 Strains (n = 25) | Non-ST81 Strains (n = 34) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age(years;mean ± standard deviation[SD]) | 68.4 ± 15.7 | 47.0 ± 21.2 | <0.01a |
| No. of cases > 65 years-old | 15(60.0) | 7(20.6) | 0.03b |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 10(40.0) | 20(58.8) | 0.19b |
| Females | 15(60.0) | 14(41.5) | |
| period of hospitalization (days, mean ± SD) | 31.5 ± 21.4 | 26.2 ± 24.3 | 0.39a |
| Serum albumin(g/L, mean + SD) | 31.8 ± 5.8 | 35.1 ± 9.8 | 0.14a |
| Serum creatinine(μmol/L, mean + SD) | 109.7 ± 114.4 | 68.2 ± 36.7 | 0.06a |
| Serum total bile acid(μmol/L, mean + SD) | 19.3 ± 40.4 | 13.4 ± 34.6 | 0.55a |
| Charlsoncomorbidity index(mean + SD) | 2.8 ± 2.1 | 0.7 ± 1.0 | <0.01a |
| No. of cases. Scoring 0–2 (%) | 13(52.0) | 33(97.1) | <0.01c |
| No. of cases scoring≥3 (%) | 12(48.0) | 1(2.9) | |
| No. of antibiotics used (mean + SD) | 1.8 ± 0.9 | 1.1 ± 1.0 | 0.07a |
| cephalosporins | 20(80.0) | 17(50.0) | 0.29b |
| Fluoroquinolones | 17(68.0) | 16(47.1) | 0.12b |
| Penicillin derivatives | 10(40.0) | 4(11.8) | 0.16c |
| Macrolides | 0 | 1(2.9) | NA |
| Glucocorticoid drugs | 7 (28.0) | 8(23.5) | 1b |
| Fever | 7(28.0) | 3(8.8) | 0.07c |
| Serum albumin(<20 g/L) | 2(8.0) | 2(5.9) | 1c |
| WBC count(>12 × 109 cells/L) | 3(12.0) | 5(14.7) | 1c |
| Presence of fecal leukocytes | 1(4.0) | 9(26.5) | 0.03c |
| Presence of fecal erythrocytes | 1(4.0) | 7(20.6) | 0.12c |
| Presence of fecal occult blood | 2(8.0) | 16(47.1) | <0.01c |
Data are no. (%) of patients, unless otherwise indicated.
a: The two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test; b: Chi-square; c: Fisher exact tests.
NA: not applicable.