Detection and Isolation of Clostridium difficile Asymptomatic Carriers During Clostridium difficile Infection Outbreaks: An Exploratory Study

During 4 Clostridium difficile infection outbreaks, unit-wide screening of 114 patients led to detection and isolation of 15 (13%) C. difficile asymptomatic carriers. Carriage prevalence varied between outbreaks, from 0% to 29% (P = .004). Isolating carriers was not associated with significantly shorter outbreak durations, compared with historical controls.