C.DIFF

Clostridium Difficile (C. Diff) is a bacterium that is present naturally in the gut of around 3% of adults and 66% of children.

C. Diff doesn't cause any problems in healthy people. However, some antibiotics that are used to treat other health conditions can interfere with the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.

If there is an imbalance of bacteria, C. Diff can take over. It creates two main types of toxins that affect the body and cause symptoms of the actual disease. The toxins attack the intestinal wall and left untreated may cause ulcerations.

Symptoms may include diarrhoea and cramping at first. The later stages are commonly flu-like symptoms of weakness, dehydration, fever, nausea, vomiting and in advanced stages - blood in your stool / faeces.

Generally people with a C. Diff infection make a full recovery. However, in some cases the infection can be fatal.

C. Diff infections can be prevented by good hygiene practices in healthcare environments. However, it is extremely contagious and is spread very easily.

C. Diff produces spores when attacked by antibiotics. The spores can live in the open air or in dirt for up to two years. Normal disinfectants have been shown ineffective against the spores. This means that even if you kill the C. Diff bacteria, spores can still be present.

When the leftover spores detect an attack from conventional antibiotics, it unmasks the spores and causes them to start producing the C. Diff bacteria all over again. This is why you can get rid of the symptoms while on the medicine and it can come right back later.