Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of 287 infants with positive and negative C. difficile culture.
| Variables | Number (%) of positive C. difficile |
Number (%) of negative C. difficile |
P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age by group | |||
| 1 day–≤30 days | 15 (8.7) | 157 (91.3) | 0.050 |
| >1 month–≤1 year | 22 (19.5) | 93 (80.5) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 18 (11.9) | 133 (88.1) | 0.605 |
| Female | 19 (14.0) | 117 (86.0) | |
| Hospital ward | |||
| NICU∗ | 0 (0.0) | 50 (100) | 0.001 |
| OPD | 37 (15.6) | 200 (84.4) | |
| Antibiotics treatment | |||
| Yes | 10 (10.5) | 85 (89.5) | 0.400 |
| No | 27 (14.1) | 165 (85.9) | |
| Presence of diarrhea∗∗ | |||
| Yes | 3 (23.1) | 10 (76.9) | 0.262 |
| No | 34 (12.4) | 240 (87.6) | |
| Hospital length of stay | |||
| 1–7 days | 14 (14.1) | 85 (85.9) | 0.062 |
| 8–30 days | 1 (2.0) | 49 (98.0) | |
| >30 days | 2 (15.4) | 11 (84.6) | |
| Gestational age | |||
| <32 | 0 (0.0) | 12 (100) | 0.420 |
| 32–36 | 9 (14.3) | 54 (85.7) | |
| 37–39 | 16 (11.6) | 122 (88.4) | |
| >39 | 12 (16.2) | 62 (83.8) | |
| Birth weight | |||
| ≤2500 | 16 (16.2) | 83 (83.8) | 0.230 |
| >2500 | 21 (11.2) | 167 (88.8) | |
| Mode of delivery | |||
| Normal vaginal delivery | 20 (13.8) | 125 (86.2) | 0.654 |
| Cesarean section | 17 (12.0) | 125 (88.0) | |
| Type of feeding | |||
| Breast | 4 (5.1) | 74 (94.9) | 0.012 |
| Formula and mix | 33 (15.8) | 176 (84.2) | |
∗Included 50 newborns which were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).∗∗Mostly soft stools without any clinically significant gastrointestinal symptoms or diarrhea during the collection of the specimens.