Getting prepared to control the European spread of the new hypervirulent Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 027

摘要

With the threat of a new influenza pandemic that may develop as a result of the ongoing and uncontrolled panzootic of H5N1 bird influenza, emerging infections have never been so high on the public health and political agenda in western countries, Europe in particular. Although there is a strong tendency to assume that the next serious emerging infectious diseases will be caused by an RNA virus that 'jumped through' mutations or progressive adaptation from an animal reservoir to humans where it will spread and cause disease, there are other scenarios of emergence that western and European countries should consider.