Facts about C. Difficile

Is C. difficile really worth fussing about?  Yes!  It’s a bug that’s having a major impact on health care.  These tiny bacteria are costing our healthcare system almost $4 billion a year.

Even worse, every year at least 500,000 people develop C. difficile infections; about 30,000 of them die. 

There is no way to just “wipe out” C. difficile bacteria because they live all around our environment—in the soil, air, water, and in animal and human feces. 

Clostridium difficile “bugs” are passed in feces and, when people don’t wash their hands regularly and properly, they spread the bacteria to everything they touch—including food, surfaces, and objects.  (IMPORTANT: You can’t get C. diff off your hands by using alcohol-based hand sanitizer!)

Unfortunately, C. diff spores can survive for weeks or even months.  In healthcare facilities, the spores are spread to patients most often by the hands of healthcare workers who have touched a contaminated surface or item. The spores can also spread through the air.  For example, spores may shake loose from dirty linens and float in the air. 

C. diff bacteria can live and multiply without oxygen—making it the perfect bacteria to “camp out” in the large intestine. 

Most people become colonized with C. diff bacteria without getting sick.  

Among the general public, C. difficile can be found in the intestinal tract of approximately 3% of all adults and 66% of children.  In hospitals, nursing homes and long term care facilities, the percentage of people who carry the bacteria is much higher. 

Scientists have identified a relatively new strain of C. diff.  It is very aggressive and produces extremely powerful toxins. Unfortunately, this strain is resistant to many medications, making it difficult to treat.  Health experts are worried because this strain has been infecting people whose risk for C. diff is low. 

“C. difficile should no longer be considered just a hospital problem.  These infections are now a patient safety concern everywhere medical care is given.”  ~CDC scientist, Clifford McDonald, MD