Page 108 - 2020 ARE eGuide for Clinical at Nonhospital Sites

Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) is a bacterium that commonly causes antibiotic-associated
diarrhea. The organism is acquired through ingestion and is shed in stool. Therefore, any surface,
device, or material (commodes, bedrails) that becomes contaminated with stool may serve as a
reservoir for the C. difficile spores.

Disease transmission may occur via the hands
of healthcare personnel who have touched a
contaminated surface or item and transported
the spores via their hands or shared
equipment to another room, which potentially
can be acquired by another patient via their
hands becoming contaminated. The major
route of exposure is via ingesting it; hence
the importance of proper hand hygiene.

C. difficile not only causes diarrhea but can lead to more serious intestinal conditions such
as pseudomembranous colitis (PMC), toxic megacolon, perforations of the colon, sepsis,
and in some cases, death.

The symptoms of C. difficile disease include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and
abdominal pain/tenderness. C. difficile can be detected in the stool of infected patients by using
laboratory tests that are commonly available in most hospitals. The majority of C. difficile patients
can be successfully treated with antibiotics.