Risk of <i>Clostridium difficile</i> Infection after Perioperative Antibacterial Prophylaxis before and during an Outbreak of Infection due to a Hypervirulent Strain

Abstract

In the context of a large epidemic of CDI associated with the emergence of a novel strain, 1.5% of patients who received PAP as their sole antibiotic treatment developed CDI. In situations in which the only purpose of PAP is to prevent infrequent and relatively benign infections, the risks may outweigh the benefits in some elderly patients.