The relationship between Clostridium difficile derived from pigs and human clinical isolates

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26860441
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Hygiene and public health
• Research Institution: Rakuno Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Usui Masaru 酪農学園大学, 獣医学群, 准教授 (60639540)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: Clostridium difficile / 堆肥

Outline of Final Research Achievements

C.difficile was isolated from 120 neonatal piglet fecal samples. One-hundred C.difficile strains were isolated from 69(57.5%) samples. These results suggest that C.difficile, prevalent among Japanese pigs, is a potential risk for antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
To clarify the survival ability of C. difficile spores in pig feces in the form of manure compost, C. difficile spores were artificially inoculated into pig feces and incubated at several temperatures. C. difficile spores survived in the feces incubated at temperatures below 37°C for over 30 days . However, spore numbers gradually decreased at thermophilic temperatures (over 55°C).Ensuring the composting of manure can reduce the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria, including C. difficile.
To clarify the distribution of C. difficile in field manure compost, we isolated and characterized C. difficile from the final products of manure compost in 14 pig farms. C. difficile was detected in 36 % (5/14) of manure compost samples.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生