About

C. difficile is a bacteria which causes inflammation of the colon or colitis and it is also a cause for severe diarrhoea.

Transmission

It spreads primarily in healthcare institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes.

It mostly affects the individuals who are taking antibiotics as it disrupts normal gut flora.

Note: Gut flora are microorganisms, such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, which live in the digestive tracts of animals. Bacteria form the largest 99% of gut bacteria in humans.

Infection Risk

It commonly occurs among older adults or those with weakened immune systems.

Around one-third of infected individuals experience infections in a recurrent manner.

Symptoms

- Watery diarrhoea

- Abdominal pain and cramping

- Fever

- Nausea

- Severe cases may lead to colonic perforation and death.

Diagnosis

It is diagnosed by stool tests.

A colonoscopy is also performed in severe cases to assess colon damage.

Treatment 

Antibiotics: Antibiotic treatments include metronidazole, vancomycin, and fidaxomicin. However, antibiotics may also kill beneficial gut bacteria.

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT): It is the process of transplantation of healthy stool to restore gut flora.

Vaccine Development

There is no vaccine for this at the moment.

Several vaccines are in developmental phases and previous attempts have largely failed.

Preventive Measures

Water hygiene and sanitation(WASH) in healthcare institutions are crucial to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Judicious use of antibiotics can minimize disruption of gut flora.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements about the “Clostridioides Difficile” recently seen in the news: 

1. It is a virus which causes inflammation of the colon or colitis.
2. It commonly occurs among older adults.
3. There is a vaccine available to prevent its spread.

Which of the above  statements are incorrect? 

A)1 and 2 only

B) 1 and 3 only

C)1, 2 and 3 only

D)None

Ans: B

Explanation: 

Statement 1 is incorrect: 

C. difficile is a bacteria which causes inflammation of the colon or colitis and it is also cause for severe diarrhea.

Statement 2 is correct: 

It spreads primarily in healthcare institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes.

It mostly affects the individuals who are taking antibiotics as it disrupts normal gut flora.

Note: Gut flora are the microorganisms, such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, which live in the digestive tracts of animals. Bacteria form the largest 99% of gut bacteria in humans.

It commonly occurs among older adults or those with weakened immune systems.

Around one-third of infected individuals experience infections in recurrent manner.

Statement 3 is incorrect: 

There is no vaccine for this at the moment.

Several vaccines are in developmental phases and previous attempts have largely failed.

Antibiotics: Antibiotic treatments include metronidazole, vancomycin, and fidaxomicin. However, antibiotics may also kill beneficial gut bacteria.

Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT): It is the process of transplantation of healthy stool to restore gut flora.