The incidence of Clostridium Difficile infection in diarrhea patients after receiving antibiotics at Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya

Introduction: Improper use of antibiotics is a risk factor for C. difficile infection. The increasing incidence of C. difficile infection is one of the indications of failure in infection prevention and control in hospitals. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of C. difficile infection in diarrhea patients after receiving antibiotics in the ICU and internal medicine ward of Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya. Methods: Stool samples were taken from 31 diarrhea patients with at least 2 x 24-hours of antibiotic use who were admitted to the ICU and hospitalized at Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya from August 2017 to May 2018. Each sample was examined for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and A and B toxins of C. difficile. The results of this study were analyzed descriptively. Results: The average age of respondents was 48.94 (21 - 86) years old. In addition, based on demographic data, it was predominant by females (65%), diabetes mellitus and fever (16%), and ceftriazone usage (22%). The results showed one sample (3%) with positive results and 30 samples (97%) with negative results for both A/B toxins and GDH enzyme. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the incidence of diarrhea in these patients was not due to C. difficile infection. The cause of diarrhea in these patients could be due to other causes such as a virus, fungus, or other bacterial infections. More sample collection is needed to provide more accurate data about C. difficile infection, so it can help to fulfill data for infection prevention and control in hospitals.