Symptoms Of C Diff

[Ermengardi Atkisson]

Cdiff can affect anyone, but most cases occur when someone is taking antibiotics for something else or not long after they have finished. People are 7 to 10 times more likely to get C. diff while on antibiotics and during the month after.

That's because antibiotics that fight bacterial infections by killing bad germs can also kill the good germs. These good germs protect the body against harmful infections, like C. diff infection. If you take antibiotics for more than a week, you could be even more at risk.

When C. diff germs are outside the body, they become spores. These spores are an inactive form of the germ and have a protective coating allowing them to live for months or years on surfaces and in the soil. The germs become active again when you swallow these spores and they reach the intestines.

Healthy people don't get infected often even if the spores reach their intestines. If your immune system is weak or you've recently taken antibiotics, you could get sick. Taking antibiotics can affect your microbiome, making you more susceptible to illnesses like C. diff.

The microbiome is the collection of good and bad germs that live in your stomach and intestines, your mouth, your urinary tract and on your skin. Some of those germs can cause illness, but others are very important in keeping you healthy. A healthy microbiome helps protect you from infection.

Antibiotics disrupt your microbiome, wiping out both the bad and the good germs that protect the body against harmful infections, like C. diff infection. The effect of antibiotics can last as long as several months. If you come in contact with C. diff germs during this time, you can get sick.

Clostridioides difficile (klos-TRID-e-oi-deez dif-uh-SEEL) is a bacterium that causes an infection of the colon, the longest part of the large intestine. Symptoms can range from diarrhea to life-threatening damage to the colon. The bacterium is often called C. difficile or C. diff.

Illness from C. difficile often occurs after using antibiotic medicines. It mostly affects older adults in hospitals or in long-term care settings. People not in care settings or hospitals also can get C. difficile infection. Some strains of the bacterium that can cause serious infections are more likely to affect younger people.

People who have a severe C. difficile infection tend to lose too much bodily fluid, a condition called dehydration. They might need to be treated in a hospital for dehydration. C. difficile infection can cause the colon to become inflamed. It sometimes can form patches of raw tissue that can bleed or make pus. Symptoms of severe infection include:

C. difficile infection that is severe and sudden can cause the colon to become inflamed and get larger, called toxic megacolon. And it can cause a condition called sepsis where the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues. People who have toxic megacolon or sepsis are admitted to an intensive care unit in the hospital. But toxic megacolon and sepsis aren't common with a C. difficile infection.

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The colon is a long tube-like organ in the abdomen. It's the largest part of the large intestine. The colon carries waste to be expelled from the body. The rectum makes up the last several inches of the colon.

C. difficile bacteria enter the body through the mouth. They can begin reproducing in the small intestine. When they reach the part of the large intestine, called the colon, the bacteria can release toxins that damage tissues. These toxins destroy cells and cause watery diarrhea.

When bacteria once again find their way into a person's digestive system, they become active again and cause infection. Because C. difficile can live outside the body, the bacteria spread easily. Not washing hands or cleaning well make it easy to spread the bacteria.

The intestines house a wide range of bacteria. Many of them help protect the body from infection. Antibiotics that treat an infection tend to destroy some of the helpful bacteria in the body as well as the bacteria causing the infection.

Without enough helpful bacteria to keep it in check, C. difficile can grow out of control quickly. Any antibiotic can cause C. difficile infection. But the antibiotics that most often lead to C. difficile infection include:

Most C. difficile infections occur in people who are in or have recently been in health care settings. These include hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities. These are places where germs spread easily, antibiotic use is common and people's health puts them at high risk of getting an infection. In hospitals and nursing homes, C. difficile spreads on:

To protect against C. difficile, don't take antibiotics unless you need them. Sometimes, you may get a prescription for antibiotics to treat conditions not caused by bacteria, such as viral illnesses. Antibiotics don't help infections caused by viruses.

If you need an antibiotic, ask if you can get a prescription for a medicine that you take for a shorter time or is a narrow-spectrum antibiotic. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics target a limited number of bacteria types. They're less likely to affect healthy bacteria.

To help prevent the spread of C. difficile, hospitals and other health care settings follow strict rules to control infections. If you have a loved one in a hospital or nursing home, follow the rules. Ask questions if you see caregivers or other people not following the rules.

Hand-washing. Health care workers should make sure their hands are clean before and after treating each person in their care. For a C. difficile outbreak, using soap and warm water is better for cleaning hands. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't destroy C. difficile spores.

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a type of bacteria that can cause colitis, a serious inflammation of the colon. Infections from C. diff often start after you've been taking antibiotics. It can sometimes be life-threatening.

In more serious infections, there may be blood or pus in the stool. This can happen because C. diff can cause the colon (also called the large intestine) to get inflamed. When this happens, tissue in the colon can bleed or make pus. Other symptoms of a serious infection include:

If your C. diff infection is severe, you could get severe intestinal inflammation. Your colon could also get enlarged and you could develop an extreme response called sepsis. All of these problems are serious and could send you to the hospital.

C. diff may change the odor of your stool. Some people say it's an unusually strong, foul odor they hadn't noticed before. Others report a sweetness to the odor, which may be caused by bile in your stool.

C. diff bacteria that are outside the body turn into spores that can live on surfaces for weeks or months. These spores are not "active," but they can turn active after you swallow them and they get into your intestines. Some people have the bacteria in their intestines and never have any symptoms. But for others, the bacteria make toxins that attack the intestines.

Older adults in health care facilities are most at risk, especially if they're taking antibiotics. That's because the human body contains thousands of different types of bacteria -- some good, some bad. If the antibiotics kill enough healthy bacteria, the ones that cause C. diff could grow unchecked and make you sick.

An increasing number of younger people also develop C. diff infections, even without taking antibiotics or being in a hospital. Failure to wash your hands thoroughly after being exposed to the bacteria can lead to infection.

Women have higher chances of getting C. diff than men. You're also more at risk for the disease if you're 65 or older. And the more times you've had the disease before, the greater your odds of developing C. diff.

Leaking from your colon. Fluid can leak from your colon into the abdominal cavity, resulting in a loss of proteins called albumin from your colon. Low albumin levels can cause leaky blood vessels and swelling in your face, feet, and hands.

Yes. C. diff is very contagious. Externally, C. diff is transmitted to your gut through your mouth. Many of us already have C. diff in our intestines that other, helpful bacteria keep in check. When antibiotics kill off these helpful bacteria, C. diff can take over in your gut.

The spores C. diff creates are resistant to the types of substances that kill other bacteria such as heat, acid, antibiotics, and disinfectant cleaners. C. diff can live for months on surfaces.

If you're being treated for Clostridium difficile, you should stay away from other people for at least 48 hours after your symptoms disappear. Sometimes, you can have no symptoms but still have C. diff in your colon that can be spread to others. That's why frequent handwashing with warm water and soap is so important. Hand sanitizer does not work on C. diff.

Other studies have indicated that kidney patients on dialysis may have a higher risk for C. diff. This is because dialysis patients often require antibiotics to treat various complications due to their treatment.

Doctors sometimes recommend a treatment to help repopulate the colon with healthy bacteria. It's often done by putting another person's stool in your colon using a device called a colonoscope. The procedure is called fecal microbiota transplant (FMT).

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