Clostridium Difficile Colitis, Antibiotic-Associated Colitis, C. Difficile, C. Dif, C.D., A.A.C.D. and C.D.C.
Despite a decline in hospital infection rates from MRSA due to prevention methods, a new deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium, a new superbug is on the rise, according to research from the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network. Move Over MRSA The New Superbug C. Difficile is popping up in hospitals across the country. Clostridium Difficile, known as C.Diff is a toxic bacteria that causes diarrhea, and C.diff is resistant to antibiotics.
C.Diff Infections
New data has revealed that infections from Clostridium difficile are surpassing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in community hospitals. C.Diff is spreading through hospitals and health care facilities, and it’s proving to be that C. diff is more aggressive than the MRSA bug.
Dr. Becky Miller, an infectious diseases fellow at Duke University Medical Center says “We found that MRSA infections have declined steadily since 2005, but C. difficile infections have increased since 2007.”
According to Dr. Daniel Perlman, president of Infectious Society of America’s Colorado chapter, 100,000 people die annually in the United States from infections they acquire in the hospital. Eighteen to 20 thousand of those fatalities die from these bacteria.
What is Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) colitis?
Antibiotic-associated (C. difficile) colitis is an infection of the colon caused by C. difficile that occurs primarily among individuals who have been using antibiotics. It is the most common infection acquired by patients while they are in the hospital. More than three million C. difficile infections occur in hospitals in the US each year. After a stay of only two days in a hospital, 10% of patients will develop infection with C. difficile. C. difficile also may be acquired outside of hospitals in the community. It is estimated that 20,000 infections with C. difficile occur in the community each year in the U.S.
In the past, hospitals were focused on MRSA and developed their prevention methods on MRSA. During a 24-month period, there were 847 cases of C. difficile infections in the 28 hospitals and the rate of C. difficile infection was 25 percent higher than the rate of infection due to MRSA.
C.Diff’s resistance to antibiotics allows it to spread easily through hospital. In fact, the drugs can actually increase the risk of getting the bug. “Those antibiotics for their infection kill the bacteria that are normal in the bowel and C.Diff bacteria starts growing in the bowel,” Dr. Perlman says.
The toxic bacteria can easily be spread from person to person and is found on high-touch surfaces, like elevator buttons, sinks, bed and hand rails and doors. The bacteria transfer from your hands, to your mouth and enter your body. Normal disinfectants have been shown ineffective against the spores. This means that even if you kill the C-dif bacteria, spores can still be present. When the leftover spores detect an attack from conventional antibiotics, it unmasks the spores and causes them to start producing the C-dif bacteria all over again. This is why you can get rid of the symptoms while on the medicine and it can come right back later.
Symptoms of C.Diff
Many people who have C. difficile never become sick, but they can still spread the infection. C. difficile illness usually develops during or shortly after a course of antibiotics. But signs and symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months afterward.
The most common symptoms of mild to moderate C. difficile disease are:
- Watery diarrhea three or more times a day for two or more days
- Mild abdominal cramping and tenderness
In more severe cases, C. difficile causes the colon to become inflamed (colitis) or to form patches of raw tissue that can bleed or produce pus (pseudomembranous colitis). Signs and symptoms of severe infection include:
- Watery diarrhea 10 to 15 times a day
- Abdominal cramping and pain, which may be severe
- Fever
- Blood or pus in the stool
- Nausea
- Dehydration
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
When to see a doctor Many people have loose stools during or shortly after antibiotic therapy. See your doctor if your symptoms last more than three days or you have fever, severe pain or cramping, or blood in your stool, or more than three bowel movements a day.
C Diff Treatments
1. Flagyl (metronidazole)
2. Vancocin (vancomycin)
Alternative Treatments For C. Diff
A Medical or Naturopathic Doctor Specific diet as recommended & Pulse Dosing.
Yogurt (live cultures), Brewer’s yeast, Bifidobacterium, Acidophilus, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces boulardii (Florastor), Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), Enemas.
Rising Plague: The Global Threat from Deadly Bacteria and Our Dwindling Arsenal to Fight Them
Dr. Brad Spellberg an infectious diseases specialist and member of a national task force charged with attacking antibiotic resistant infections tells the story of this potentially grave public health crisis. The author shares true and very moving patient stories to emphasize the terrible frustration he and his colleagues have experienced while attempting to treat untreatable infections, not to mention the heart-break and tragedy that many of these patients’ families had to endure.
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