Hypervirulent R20291 Clostridioides difficile spores show disinfection resilience to sodium hypochlorite despite structural changes.

Abstract in brief

• The study investigates the resilience of Clostridioides difficile spores, particularly the hypervirulent R20291 strain, to sodium hypochlorite disinfection, showing that some spores can survive with minimal structural damage.
• Using TEM imaging and Raman spectroscopy, researchers observed that while many spores undergo biochemical and structural changes after disinfection, some remain intact, making detection and elimination challenging.
• These findings suggest that standard cleaning practices may not fully eradicate certain C. difficile spores, highlighting the need for improved disinfection strategies and the potential impact of structural changes on detection methods like Raman spectroscopy.]