Abstract: Clostridioides difficile  is a grampositive,  anaerobic sporeforming bacillus commonly found in the environment and human gut.  Over use of antibiotics, immunosuppressive agents and chemotherapy drugs all may lead to the overgrowth of the toxic strain of C. difficile with high resistance, which is the main factor responsible for  C. difficile infection (CDI). The globally increasing incidence of CDI, especially the outbreak of nosocomial infection caused by the hypervirulent strain in North America, has aroused worldwide attention. To provide new insights into the early diagnosis and treatment of diarrhea associated with C. difficile,  this review summarizes the latest development on pathogenesis and laboratory diagnosis of C. difficile.

Key words: Clostridioides infections, diagnosis