Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic gram-positive bacillus capable of forming endospores and consequently exhibiting high resistance in the environment [1]. C. difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of diarrhea in hospitalized humans (HA-CDI), but it can currently also be observed in patients without previous hospitalization (CA-CDI) [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. In humans, antimicrobial use and hospitalization are strongly associated with the occurrence of CDI, but the use of corticosteroid therapy and drugs that inhibit gastric acid production have also been suggested as relevant risk factors [8], [9].

As an enteropathogen, C. difficile causes enteric changes in horses (both foals and adults) [10], [11], piglets [12], [13], and some wild animals [14], [15], [16]. In addition to the importance of C. difficile as a pathogen in animals, it has been hypothesized that animals can act as a reservoir of toxigenic strains to humans, including multidrug-resistant isolates. This complex epidemiology emphasizes the need for a One Health approach to control this disease [17], [18]. In this context, epidemiological studies in Brazil revealed an occurrence of 15% of hospitalized patients in the state of São Paulo [19]. The main ribotypes described in Brazil are 014, 014/20, 106, and 133 [20], [21].

Despite the importance of C. difficile in animals, there is a limited number of studies [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33]. To date, studies have suggested that cattle can harbor C. difficile, including antimicrobial-resistant strains [24], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33]. The main ribotypes of C. difficile shed by calves and whether this microorganism can cause diarrhea in these animals remain uncertain. Furthermore, the presence of toxigenic and multidrug-resistant strains in calves raises concerns about the one health approach, requiring an epidemiological evaluation of these strains. The objective of this study was to describe the fecal prevalence, ribotypes, and susceptibility profiles of C. difficile strains isolated from calves.