The Prevalence of Clostridium difficile in the Wisconsin Area and the Role of Dietary Fiber on Colonization

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is an opportunistic pathogen. Since antibiotics alter a human’s microbiota, hospitalized patients are more likely to become infected with C. difficile. Studies have shown that a high-fiber diet can reduce the prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs). These findings suggest that a high-fiber diet could reduce the colonization of C. difficile. Throughout this study, the influence of dietary on the prevalence rate of C. difficile will be discovered within the Wisconsin area. Surveys administered by the Survey Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) will be used to determine the fiber intake of participants. The presence of C. difficile will be discovered by isolating colonies with C. difficile morphology, from stool samples, and then performing polymerase chain reactions (PCR).