Clostridium difficile—Diagnostic and Clinical Challenges

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of healthcare associated infections in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a pathogen in the community. This organism is considered to be one of the most urgent antibiotic resistant threats to public health, and can cause a variety of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to mild diarrhea, to toxic megacolon, and even death.