Clostridioides difficile

What is Clostridioides difficile?

Clostridioides difficile (also known as C. difficile or C. diff) is a type of bacteria (germ) that causes diarrhea and colitis. Colitis is an inflammation of the colon.    

Who gets C. difficile?

C. difficile infection usually occurs when someone is taking antibiotics for something else or not long after they have finished. Other risk factors include older age (65+), previous C. difficile infection, having a weakened immune system, and recent stay at a hospital or nursing home.

How is C. difficile spread?

C. difficile is found in stool and can live on people’s skin. People who touch an infected person can pick up the germs on their hands. If they don’t wash their hands, they can spread the germs to other people and things they touch.  

What are the symptoms of C. difficile infection?

The most common symptoms of a C. difficile infection are diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and stomach pain or tenderness. Sometimes people carry C. difficile in their bodies without any symptoms. This is called being “colonized.”  A person can be colonized with C. difficile for a long time and never get sick or get sick much later.

How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?

The exact timeframe is unknown. It can range from a few days to up to three months after exposure.

How is C. difficile infection diagnosed?

A laboratory test of a stool sample can be used to diagnose C. difficile infection.

What is the treatment for C. difficile infection?

C. difficile treatment usually involves taking a specific antibiotic for at least 10 days. If you were taking an antibiotic for another infection, your healthcare provider might ask you to stop taking it if it’s safe to do so.  

People with repeat C. difficile infections may receive a “fecal transplant”. This involves giving stool from a healthy person to the person with C. difficile. In severe cases, surgery might be needed to remove the infected part of the intestines. 

How can C. difficile infection be prevented?

You should always take antibiotics as prescribed. Wash your hands after using the bathroom and before you eat. If you’ve had a C. difficile infection, tell any healthcare professionals about it. This will help them make the best decisions when prescribing antibiotics in the future.  

In healthcare settings, healthcare personnel wear a gown and gloves with caring for patients with C. difficile. This helps prevent the spread of C. difficile to themselves or to other patients. Special cleaning products are used to remove C. difficile from items and surfaces. Healthcare personnel practice frequent hand hygiene to limit the spread of C. difficile. Friends or family members visiting a patient with C. difficile should follow the healthcare facility’s recommended precautions. 

At home, if you or one of your household members has C. difficile:

• Wash your hands with soap and water every time after you use the bathroom and before you eat. 
• Try to use a separate bathroom if you have diarrhea from C. difficile. If you can’t, be sure the commonly touched surfaces in the bathroom are cleaned before others use it. 
• Focus on regularly cleaning items that you touch with your hands, like doorknobs, refrigerator handles, and electronics.  
• Wash linens, towels, and clothing from the person with C. difficile using the hottest water that is safe for those items. Use chlorine bleach if you can safety wash the items with it. Consider wearing gloves when handling dirty laundry and always wash your hands with soap and water after, even if you use gloves.

How can I get more information about C. difficile?

• If you have concerns about C. difficile, contact your healthcare provider. 
• Call your local health department.  You can find your local health department at vdh.virginia.gov/health-department-locator/.
• Visit the VDH C. difficile webpage at vdh.virginia.gov/haiar/cdiff/. 
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention C. difficile webpage at cdc.gov/c-diff/about/index.html.