Epidemiological Features of Clostridium difficile Colonizing the Intestine of Jordanian Infants

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	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
	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)
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)

50 newborns which were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). soft stools without any clinically significant gastrointestinal symptoms or diarrhea during the collection of the specimens.