Clostridium difficile: www.infektionsschutz.de (2024)

FAQs

What infection does Clostridium difficile cause? ›

Overview. Clostridioides difficile (klos-TRID-e-oi-deez dif-uh-SEEL) is a bacterium that causes an infection of the colon, the longest part of the large intestine. Symptoms can range from diarrhea to life-threatening damage to the colon. The bacterium is often called C. difficile or C. diff.

Probiotics can help so much that both conventional and natural health experts will recommend taking probiotic supplements if you have a C. diff infection. There has been mixed evidence that certain strains of probiotics — namely Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces species — may be particularly helpful.

C. diff can live on people's skin. People who touch an infected person's skin can pick up the germs on their hands. If they don't wash their hands, they can spread the germs to people and things they touch.

C. diff diarrhea is typically mushy or porridge-like, but not completely liquid. Sometimes it has a green tint, though other bacterial infections can also cause this. Occasionally, it contains blood, mucus or pus.

People with Clostridium difficile infections typically recover within two weeks of starting antibiotic treatment. However, many people become reinfected and need additional therapy. Most recurrences happen one to three weeks after stopping antibiotic therapy, although some occur as long as two or three months later.

A mild C. diff infection that presents no symptoms can go away on its own. However, more severe forms require treatment, such as antibiotics, to prevent complications.

Semi-solid foods – Starchy soft foods, such as saltine crackers, toast, eggs or rice, can be gradually added to the diet as diarrhea symptoms pass.

Treatment for C. diff usually involves taking a specific antibiotic such as vancomycin or fidaxomicin for at least 10 days. If you were taking an antibiotic for another infection, the healthcare professional might ask you to stop taking it if they think it's safe to do so.

Hot water washing at temperatures greater than 160 degrees F for 25 minutes and low temperature washing at 71 to 77 degrees F (22-25 degrees C) with a 125-part-per-million (ppm) chlorine bleach rinse remain effective ways to process laundry.

How long is someone contagious with C. diff? ›

Someone with a C. difficile infection is generally considered to be infectious until at least 48 hours after their symptoms have cleared up.

Yes. You may kiss and hug.

An infection with the Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) bacteria may cause sweet-smelling stools, which some people describe as having a “ horse barn odor .”

The only way to be sure if C. diff has come back is to speak with a doctor. They usually recommend a stool test to check for the bacteria or the toxins that C. diff causes.

Choose fluids that have water, salt and sugar, such as diluted fruit juice, soft drinks and broths. Good nutrition. For watery diarrhea, eat starchy foods, such as potatoes, noodles, rice, wheat and oatmeal. Other good choices are saltine crackers, bananas, soup and boiled vegetables.

Common symptoms of a C. diff infection include: diarrhoea. a high temperature. loss of appetite.

diff toxins can irritate the lower part of the intestines (a condition called colitis). The colon then swells and becomes inflamed. If this gets bad enough, the intestines can rupture. 8 In those cases, the damaged intestines need to be removed in surgery and can leave scars and longer-term gut problems.

Person-to-person transmission occurs through the fecal–oral route. Acquisition can result from direct person-to-person contact, exposure to contaminated environmental surfaces and equipment, or contact with the hands of transiently colonized health care personnel (12).

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is an obligate anaerobe and a potentially fatal gastrointestinal pathogen of humans and animals.