What is Clostridium Difficile? 

C.Diff, also known as Clostridium difficile is a type of bacteria that can cause extreme diarrhoea and is often a side effect of antibiotics.  

Our bowels contain both good and bad bacteria, the good bacteria outweigh the bad, therefore people will have C. Diff in their bowels, however this is harmless as the good bacteria is keeping it at bay.  

When an individual takes a course of antibiotics, the antibiotics are unable to differentiate the good and the bad bacteria within our stomachs therefore will attack the good bacteria and affect the natural balance, which this allows for the bad bacteria to multiply, produce toxins and cause an infection.  

How can you catch it? 

C.Diff is spread through particles from the infected individuals’ faeces through toilets, clothing, skin to skin contact, equipment, clothing or furniture.  

C.Diff can survive for an extended period of time without a host therefore healthcare workers, relatives and friends of an infected person can pick this up from touching surroundings of the patient and then touching their mouths or eating.  

Poor hand hygiene is a major cause of the spread of C. Diff as well as poor cleaning of equipment or surroundings of the infected individual.  

What are the symptoms? 

When an individual is infected with C. Diff, the symptoms will usually first occur when they are taking a course of antibiotics or within the weeks following.  

Common symptoms include: 

  • Increased Abdominal Pain  
  • Watery Diarrhoea which can sometimes include blood. 
  • Nausea 
  • Signs of Dehydration (dry mouth, headaches, decrease in urination) 
  • High Temperature of 38C+ 
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss  

In extreme cases, an individual can develop symptoms of drowsiness, Tachycardia and collapsing episodes. This is due to complications from the infection and damage to the bowel or severe dehydration. 

How is it diagnosed? 

C. Diff can be diagnosed through one or more of the following tests: 

  • Stool Test – a stool test will be sent off to a laboratory by your GP which will look for toxins or strains of the bacteria that produces toxins. 
  • Colon Exam – To assist in confirming the diagnosis of C. Diff, a health care professional may check the inside of the colon. There are two types of tests that they can carry out: Flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. 
  • Imaging Tests – X-Rays may be taken of the abdomen, or a CT scan can also identify possible complications of C. Diff by looking for: thickened colon wall or enlarged bowel. 

Who is at risk? 

Although C. Diff can affect anybody, there are more at-risk individuals than others, these include: 

  • Aged 65 or older. 
  • Have underlying conditions such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), cancer or kidney disease. 
  • Have a weakened immune system, which can be a result of conditions such as diabetes or a result of medication such as chemotherapy and steroid medication. 
  • Recent or currently taking broad-spectrum antibiotics or several different antibiotics at the same time or taking long term antibiotics.  
  • Recent surgery on digestive system. 
  • Have had to stay in a healthcare setting such as a hospital or care home for an extended period of time. 

How can it be treated? 

If a doctor suspects you have C. Diff as a result of an antibiotic or you have been diagnosed following a stool sample. The doctor will ask that you stop taking any antibiotics that you are taking. In mild cases – this will be the only treatment. 

You must not stop taking your antibiotics unless instructed by a doctor. 

C. Diff is known to be antimicrobial resistant. This means that there are only a select few antibiotics that can treat C. Diff, which is why it is so important to prevent the spread. 

Your doctor may prescribe you another 10-day course of antibiotics that can treat the C. Diff infection and you should start to improve after a few days. It is vital that you take the full course of antibiotics even if you feel back to normal before the course is completed. 

You will also be advised how to avoid becoming dehydrated as this can cause further complications. 

In extreme cases, when a patient is suffering with severe pain, organ failure or inflammation of the wall surrounding the stomach area, surgery may be needed to remove the affected part of the bowel. 

Around 25% of patients that are treated for C. Diff are affected a second time. This may be that during the first treatment, not all of the bacteria were removed, and this causes a new infection. 

If you are affected a second or third time, you may be offered a faecal microbiota transplant. This is when the bacteria from a healthy person’s faeces is transplanted into your GI tract to enable your body to produce more good bacteria to fight off the bad bacteria and help to stop the infection. 

What can be done to prevent spread? 

C. Diff infections can spread very easily between people as it can live without a host on a surface for a period of time which means it can be picked up by another individual touching that same surface. 

To try and prevent spread here are a few tips to follow: 

  • Self-isolate if possible and stay home until at least 48 hours after you last had Diarrhoea. 
  • wash your hands regularly and thoroughly using soap and warm water. 
  • clean and disinfect the toilet after each use. 
  • regularly clean all surfaces that you may have touched with disinfectant. 
  • wash all clothes and sheets that have been contaminated with faeces and wash these separately from other laundry at the highest temp that you can. If something is very contaminated, then it may be best to dispose of this. 

If you or a member of your family is currently suffering from a C.Diff infection then be sure to not share towels or any clothes and do not take any medicine that would stop diarrhoea as this can prevent the infection from being cleared from your body.