Data for action: the crucial role of hospitals in controlling Clostridioides difficile infection in England

Despite heightened epidemiological surveillance, Clostridioides difficile continues to be associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide.1 The pathogen imposes a severe burden on health-care resources, as recurrences of C difficile infection (CDI) are estimated to occur in up to 25% of treated patients,2 and these recurrences increase with each subsequent episode, such that 40–65% of patients experience multiple recurrences after a second or third episode respectively.2 Changes in C difficile epidemiology introduce new complexities such as the emergence of the hypervirulent ribotype 027 and other ribotypes, which show inherent differences in genetic profiles, virulence factors, geographical distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles.