Clostridioides difficile infection epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece.

Aim: The aim was to highlight the incidence and epidemiology of C. difficile infections (CDI) in a tertiary Greek hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A single-center prospective observational cohort study was conducted (October 2021 until April 2022). 125 C. difficile isolates were cultured from hospitalized patients stool samples and screened by PCR for toxin A ( tcdA ), toxin B ( tcdB ), binary toxin ( cdtA and cdtB ) genes and the regulating gene of tcdC . Results: The incidence of CDI increased to 13.1 infections per 10,000 bed days. The most common PCR ribotypes identified included hypervirulent RT027-related RT181 (73.6%), presumably hypervirulent RT126 (8.0%) and toxin A negative RT017 (7.2%). Conclusion: Although the incidence of CDI increased significantly, the CDI epidemiology remained stable.