Is it Clostridium difficile infection or something else?
GROUND: Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is a leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea in the United States, and may be associated with significant morbidity and occasional mortality. Diarrhea is also very common among hospitalized patients and is often related to a variety of factors not related to C difficile infection. METHODS: We performed a retrospective case-control study at a tertiary care community medical center to delineate factors that are predictive of CDAD among hospitalized patients with new-onset diarrhea (ie, not present at the time of admission). Controls were selected based on negative C difficile toxin test(s) (CDTTs) (> 95% by cytotoxic assay), presence on the same ward as the patients with first positive CDTT, and hospitalization around the same period as the positive cases. RESULTS: The study involved 352 patients (88 cases and 264 controls). In univariate analysis, age 75 years or greater, exposure to cefazolin or levofloxacin during the 4-week period
