Clostridioides difficileis an anaerobic, spore-forming entero-pathogen, able to persist in the environment and to cause diarrhea in humans and animals. We took advantage of all necropsies of Equidae in Normandie, France, from 2019 to 2021 (n=100), to systematically recover the digestive content in animal caecum and, if of reduced consistency and possibly diarrheal, in any intestinal segment. 27 Equidae were positive forC. difficileand 25 provided 34 isolates forming the first equine strain collection in France (CloDifEqui). Strains were toxigenic in 20 Equidae, including one co-colonized by a non-toxigenic strain. Toxigenic isolates displayed different toxin profiles and belonged to 8 ribotypes (WEBRIBO): 078, 126 (TcdA TcdB and CDT toxins), 005, 012, 020, 181, AI-53 (TcdA and TcdB), 017 (TcdB). Non-toxigenic isolates were of ribotypes 009, 035 and 439. The predominant ribotypes were 017 (n=5 animals, N=8 isolates) and 009 (n=5, N=7). In two premises, a few Equidae shared the same ribotype, either 009 or 020, suggesting two potential transmission clusters.C. difficileinfection was shown by free toxin detection in 4 animals displaying both post-mortem signs of diarrhea (colon watery content) and toxigenic isolates. These isolates belonged to ribotype 126 (n=1) or 017 (n=3) and were the least susceptible to vancomycin. The infection by ribotype 017 was responsible for animal death in two cases. Finally, French Equidae represented a previously underestimated reservoir ofC. difficileand ribotype 017 was highly virulent in these animals, both preoccupying findings in a One Health perspective.
