Global prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in ۱۷,۱۴۸ food samples from ۲۰۰۹ to ۲۰۱۹: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESClostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is an important infectious pathogen, which causes mild-to-severe gastrointestinal infections by creating resistant spores and producing toxins (۱,۲). Spores contaminated foods might be one of the most significant transmission ways of C. difficile-associated infections (۳). This systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of C. difficile in food.MATERIALS AND METHODSArticles that published the prevalence of C. difficile in food in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were retrieved using selected keywords between January ۲۰۰۹ and December ۲۰۱۹. Finally, ۱۷,۱۴۸ food samples from ۶۰ studies from ۲۰ countries were evaluated.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe overall prevalence of C. difficile in various foods was ۶.۳%. The highest and lowest levels of C. Difficile contamination were detected to seafood (۱۰.۳%) and side dishes (۰.۸%), respectively. The prevalence of C. difficile was ۴% in cooked food, ۶.۲% in cooked chicken and ۱۰% in cooked seafood.CONCLUSIONThere is still little known concerning the food-borne impact of C. difficile, but the reported contamination might pose a public health risk. Therefore, to improve the food safety and prevent contamination with C. difficile spores, it is necessary to observe hygienic issues during foods preparation, cooking and transfer.