Clostridioides difficile in Australian dairy farms

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and diversity of C. difficile in Australian dairy farms. Methods: A total of 320 samples, including faeces, rectal swabs, effluent, soil and water, were collected from seven dairy farms across two Australian states. Results: C. difficile was present in all seven farms (100 %) and 44.4 % of the samples tested, with the highest prevalence found in soil (94.3 %), effluent (73.7 %) and faeces (60.4 %). Forty-four distinct ribotypes were identified among 174 isolates, of which 17 have been found previously in humans. C. difficile ribotype (RT) 127 (A + B + CDT+) was the predominant strain, comprising 42.5 % of isolates. The findings also indicated that the environment of Australian dairy farms is persistently contaminated with C. difficile, especially RT 127 and may represent a potential source for zoonotic transmission. Conclusions: C. difficile may be widespread in Australian dairy farms, with notably high prevalence in both animals and environmental samples.

RAS ID

83516

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

8-1-2025

Volume

94

Funding Information

National Health and Medical Research Council

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

Grant Number

NHMRC Number : 2013129

Copyright

subscription content

Publisher

Elsevier

Comments

Lim, S., Chisholm, J., Collins, D. A., Lattin, M., Bell, C., Selvey, L., Reid, S., & Riley, T. V. (2025). Clostridioides difficile in Australian dairy farms. Anaerobe, 94, 102983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102983

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