Europe’s 'C. difficile' Diversity: Unraveling the One Health Connection

Meet 'Clostridioides difficile, ' a sneaky bacterium that knows no borders. It’s found in humans, animals, and even food; an ideal recipe for a One Health puzzle. In this study, scientists from thirteen European countries came together to paint a clearer picture of 'C. difficile' and its travels. They dived into 441 strains – 280 from human cases, 96 from animals, and 65 from food – and looked closely at their genetic fingerprints using ribotyping, toxinotyping, and whole genome sequencing. They found 83 types (ST11 and ST1 being the most common), with some being shared across all sources. It's like finding that some 'C. difficile' parties are exclusive, while others are filled with guests from all over! Additionally, they discovered unique, emerging 'C. difficile' types (CI-III) that were mostly linked to food. These findings hint that food and animals might be sneaky paths 'C. difficile' takes to reach us.