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Spring 2005 - Article 2

From The Lab
Clostridium Difficile

Clostridium difficile (C. diff for short) is a gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus bacterium that is responsible for the development of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. It was first discovered in 1935 and was named C. difficile because it is so difficult to culture.

C. diff is primarily acquired in hospitals and chronic care facilities following antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic use suppresses normal gut flora (beneficial bacteria in your stomach and digestive tract that normally keeps C. diff in check), thus allowing proliferation of C. difficile. In fact, it is the number one cause of diarrhea outbreak in hospitalized patients, contributing greatly to hospital stay lengths. The good news is that it causes relatively mild illness, although in elderly patients it can result in serious illness and even death.

C. diff spores are shed in feces and easily spread from healthcare personnel to hospitalized persons when proper hand washing and gloving is not followed. They can survive up to 70 days in the environment outside the body. Since C. diff is a spore-former, most chemical disinfectants are inactive against it, including quat and alcohol-based products. Bleach is the best alternative, but even that is not 100% effective.