Etymologia: Clostridium difficile

摘要

Clostridium, the genus name of these gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria, comes from Greek klōstēr (spindle) because, under the microscope, the colonies resemble spindles used in cloth weaving and long sticks with a bulge at the end. The species name diffi cile is a form of the Latin adjective diffi cilis because, when fi rst identifi ed (by Hall and O'Toole in 1935), the organism was diffi cult to isolate and grew slowly in pure culture. However, likely because of the familiarity of a French term with the same spelling and meaning, the French pronunciation has become widely used. These bacteria are part of the commensal intestinal . ora in humans, and toxigenic strains of the organism can cause pseudomembranous colitis, a severe infection of the colon, after normal gut . ora have been eradicated in patients who have received antimicrobial drugs