Clostridium difficile is not recognized as a pathogen that presents a risk of acquisition in the laboratory. No particular safety precautions are recommended for working with it. Now there are 2 case reports of laboratory acquisition of C.difficile infection in 2 technicians working with PCR ribotype 027 strains. One case in the Netherlands and one in Spain.
Netherlands: 27-year old healthy female PhD student working with fecal samples containing C.difficile. She developed severe diarrhea that spontaneously cleared but recurred 2 weeks later. laboratory work was performed at the bench, surfaces were cleaned daily with alcohol.
Spain: 35-year old healthy laboratory technician in 12th week of pregnancy working on 2 different strains of C.difficile ribotype 027. Standard biosafety precautions were observed, class II biosafety cabinets were not routinely used to work with C.difficile.
Recommendations: working with C.difficile ribotype 027 in class II biosafety cabinets. use of disposable gloves, gowns, disinfection of hands with water and soap, decontamination of materials and instruments with chlorine-containing disinfectants.
