C. Diff is the abbreviated name for Clostridium difficile (pronounced klaw-STRID-ee-im dif-i-SEEL), is an infection that appears in patients who are taking antibiotics, usually those who have been hospitalized over a long period of time.
One of the problems with C.Diff is that it is so easily spread. It lives on surfaces for a long period of time, and is transferred by touch. In the hospital, it's not unusual to find C.Diff spores on bedrails, bed linens, the TV remote, the telephone, the bathroom door handle or fixtures - anywhere. It requires the use of bleach to kill it on those surfaces so it won't spread to patients who touch the surfaces it resides on.
And it kills patients. While most people who contract C. Diff in the hospital will be treated successfully, those who are immunocompromised may not. According to the CDC, 100,000 Americans die from hospital acquired infections each year. C. Diff is one of those infections, and its death rate is rising.
The most recognizable symptom of C. Diff is diarrhea which may be accompanied by fever, loss of appetite, nausea, cramping or belly pain or tenderness.
Ironically, even though C.Diff can be the result of antibiotic exposure, it is also treated using antibiotics. The antibiotics of choice for most patients are metronidazole or oral vancomycin.
If you are hospitalized and begin to suffer from diarrhea or run a fever, it may be C. Diff. Know that you can be treated for it, but that you can pass it on to others, too. Be sure to wash and disinfect your hands and anything else you touch (including the list above) so you won't spread it elsewhere.
The best advice, of course, is to prevent C. Diff to begin with, which you can do by following the advice for preventing hospital acquired infections.
Learn about additional infections hospital patients must be be concerned about:
- Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Clostridium difficile (C.Diff)
- Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)
- Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP)
- Necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating bacterial disease
- Also - Central Line Infections - these are not superbugs, rather they are one mode of entry for these infectious agents.
- Sepsis and Septicemia of the blood
- Some advice about preventing hospital infections, too.
References:
Clostridium difficile (Colitis) from About.com's Guide to Infectious Diseases
Frequently Asked Questions about Clostridium difficile from the CDC
Clostridium difficile Infection from the American Academy of Family Practitioners (FamilyDoctor.org)
C. difficile from the Mayo Clinic
