About Clostridioides Difficile infection (C.diff)

What is Clostridioides difficile?

Clostridium difficile (also known as “C. difficile” or “C. diff”) is a bacterium that can be found in people’s intestines (their “digestive tract” or “gut”).

However, it does not cause disease by its presence alone. It can be found in healthy people (about 3% of adults and two thirds of babies) with no symptoms.

It causes disease when the normal bacteria in the gut are affected by the C. diff bacteria.

This is usually when antibiotics are taken, allowing the C. diff to grow to unusually high levels.

This allows the toxin they produce to reach levels where it attacks the intestine and causes symptoms of disease.

What are the symptoms of Clostridioides difficile infection?

C. diff causes mild to severe diarrhoea.

Other symptoms can be fever, loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain or tenderness . Very unusually, it can cause life-threatening inflammation of the intestines

How do you catch it?

Another person may get C.diff disease through contact with the infected person and things they have touched.

In most healthy people, C.diff will not be able to multiply in the gut and they will not develop disease. In some vulnerable people, particularly those whose normal gut bacteria have been disrupted by antibiotic treatment, C.diff may be able to multiply and go on to cause disease.

How is it treated?

In most patients the disease can be treated with antibiotics .

How is Clostridioides difficile infection diagnosed?

Initial diagnosis can be on the symptoms and patient story (e.g. having taken antibiotics).

We would then move the patient to a single room to prevent the spread of the infection.

We will then look for C.diff toxins in the faeces, but this test will take a day to do

What should I do to prevent spreading it to others?

To reduce the chance of spreading the infection, it is important to wash your hands with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and before eating.

You should also encourage your visitors to wash their hands when they leave. This is to remove or reduce the number of bacteria on the skin.

Who does it affect? Are some people more at risk?

Yes. The risk for C. diff disease increases if you:

· have taken antibiotics;

· are elderly (over 80% of cases are
reported in the over 65s);

· have had gastrointestinal surgery

· have other serious illness reducing the immune system (‘immuno compromised patients’);

· have been in hospital or healthcare setting for a long time.

Children under the age of 2 years are not usually affected.

If I have had Clostridioides Difficile infection will I pose a risk to others after I have been discharged?

If you have who have had C. diff diarrhoea but have recovered, there should be no restriction on your discharge or transfer from this hospital.

Once someone has recovered they are not a risk clinically to others even if they still carry the organism in their intestines; provided that they observe personal hygiene precautions such as washing hands after using the toilet and before eating.

So having had C. diff infection is not a restriction to returning to a Care Home.