Paeniclostridium sordellii and Clostridioides difficile encode similar and clinically relevant tetracycline resistance loci in diverse genomic locations.

The Tet P determinant is found in variable genomic locations within diverse human and animal isolates of P. sordellii and C. difficile, which suggests that it can undergo horizontal transfer, and may disseminate tetracycline resistance between clostridial species. Doxycycline is a suggested prophylactic treatment for P. sordellii infections, however, a small sub-set of the isolates tested are resistant to this antibiotic. Doxycycline may therefore not be an appropriate prophylactic treatment for P. sordellii infections.