Clostridium difficile infection overview

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Clostridium difficile or CDF/cdf' is a species of bacteria of the genus Clostridium which are Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming rods (bacillus). Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections, particularly in elderly hospitalized patients, and also one of the most common complications of antibiotics in hospitalized patients. Patients are rarely infected unless the normal flora of the intestinal tract has been altered by antibiotics. Up to 10% of patients hospitalized >2 days are affected.Of note, most antibiotic-associated diarrhea is not due to C. diff, but is due to an osmotic type diarrhea. The antibiotics wipe out the gastrointestinal (GI) tract’s normal flora, which usually break down unabsorbed carbohydrates. These unabsorbed carbohydrates remain in the lumen and carry with them water, resulting in diarrhea.C. difficile is the most significant cause of pseudomembranous colitis, a severe infection of the colon, often after normal gut flora is eradicated by the use of antibiotics. Treatment is by stopping any antibiotics and commencing specific anticlostridial antibiotics, e.g. metronidazole.

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