Effects of Antibiotic Use Reduction on Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Nursing Homes
Abstract
Antibiotic drug–mediated changes in the human gut microbiota affect Clostridioides difficile colonization. We created a compartmental model of C. difficile colonization in nursing home residents to improve understanding of how the gut microbiota mediates the transmission process. When analyzing C. difficile colonization as a function of the daily percentage of the nursing home resident population on antibiotic drugs, the model displayed increases in C. difficile colonization as antibiotic drug use increased. Reducing the daily percentage of the nursing home resident population receiving antibiotic drugs from 8% to 6.6% could halve endemic colonization. In sensitivity analyses, increases in the time to recover microbiota diversity, duration of colonization, daily percentage of the nursing home resident population on antibiotic drugs, and susceptibility to C. difficile in the low-diversity microbiota population had the largest effect on endemic colonization. Our model demonstrates that reductions in antibiotic drug use yield reductions in C. difficile colonization.
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BibTeX
@article{reeves2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Antibiotic Use Reduction on Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Nursing Homes}},
author = {Majerle Reeves and Mihnea R. Mangalea and Camden D. Gowler and Prabasaj Paul and Hannah Wolford and Joseph D. Lutgring and Sujan C. Reddy and Alison Laufer Halpin and L. Clifford McDonald and Rachel B. Slayton},
journal = {Emerging Infectious Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3201/eid3211.260743},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3211.260743},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Antibiotic Use Reduction on Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Nursing Homes
AU - Majerle Reeves
AU - Mihnea R. Mangalea
AU - Camden D. Gowler
AU - Prabasaj Paul
AU - Hannah Wolford
AU - Joseph D. Lutgring
AU - Sujan C. Reddy
AU - Alison Laufer Halpin
AU - L. Clifford McDonald
AU - Rachel B. Slayton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
DO - 10.3201/eid3211.260743
UR - https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3211.260743
AB - Antibiotic drug–mediated changes in the human gut microbiota affect Clostridioides difficile colonization. We created a compartmental model of C. difficile colonization in nursing home residents to improve understanding of how the gut microbiota mediates the transmission process. When analyzing C. difficile colonization as a function of the daily percentage of the nursing home resident population on antibiotic drugs, the model displayed increases in C. difficile colonization as antibiotic drug use increased. Reducing the daily percentage of the nursing home resident population receiving antibiotic drugs from 8% to 6.6% could halve endemic colonization. In sensitivity analyses, increases in the time to recover microbiota diversity, duration of colonization, daily percentage of the nursing home resident population on antibiotic drugs, and susceptibility to C. difficile in the low-diversity microbiota population had the largest effect on endemic colonization. Our model demonstrates that reductions in antibiotic drug use yield reductions in C. difficile colonization.
SN - 1080-6040
SN - 1080-6059
ER -