Epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile Infection in Argentina and Associated Risk Factors Evaluated Through a Meta-Analysis

Background: Clostridioides difficile is classified within the first 18 threats for antimicrobial resistance and is the leading cause of hospital-acquired enteric infection. Community-associated cases have notably increased in recent decades, highlighting that accurate and up-to-date statistics characterizing the epidemiology of C. difficile infection (CDI) are critical. Methods: We conducted a retrospective (2019–2023) case-control study evaluating the prevalence of CDI in 249 stool samples from hospitalized patients in the sanitary region III of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The presence of C. difficile was detected by combining EIA, PCR, and toxigenic culture via a diagnostic algorithm. Clinical and demographic data from patients were analyzed to identify CDI-associated risk factors. We also conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis contrasting our results with 38 studies selected from different countries. Results: One in five patients presented C. difficile as the etiological agent of diarrhea. Eighty percent of the CDI+ cases carried toxigenic strains, with a third of cases associated with community environments. Age ≥ 69 years, previous use of antibiotics, previous hospitalization, and previous episodes of CDI emerged as predisposing factors for CDI in our study cohort. In an exploratory evaluation of clinical data, CDI+ patients showed higher leukocytes and platelets counts, a decreased basophil count, and increased urea concentration. At the global level, the meta-analysis reinforced advanced age, previous consumption of antibiotics, previous consumption of proton pump inhibitors, previous hospitalization, and previous CDI as risk factors for CDI. Conclusions: These results emphasize the importance of continued epidemiological surveillance of CDI. Our findings confirm previously described risk factors, both in our cohort and at the global level. Exploratory alterations in laboratory parameters were observed, although their clinical relevance and specificity require further investigation.