DIGEST – Typing Clostridioides difficile by WGS

Scientific Lead: Trefor Morris

Clinical Lead: Dr Harriet Hughes

Current typing by PCR Ribotype (developed in UK Anaerobe Reference Unit, Cardiff)

WGS typing much more discriminatory

Benefits – understanding epidemiology to inform action:

• • Around three quarters of individual cases were genetically unrelated at 2 snp’s  (similar to previous work)
  • Considerable diversity within ribotypes:  e.g. approximately 64% of RT 002 were unrelated

Toxin positive and negative