C Difficile Research Paper
Clostridium difficile
There are many microbes that live in the human digestive tract. Most keep us regular and healthy. Some of these organisms keep others in check. When the balance of these good and bad organisms is disrupted, we can become sick. Clostridium difficile (C.diff or C.difficile) can grow out of control if this happens. This happens when a person is on antibiotics for another reason and the normal flora of the gut is eradicated. Clostridium difficile is typically found in hospitals and long term care facilities. It is found throughout the United States and the world. Healthy individuals may be carriers of the organism (3%), but adults in hospitals and long-term care centers account for 20-50% of carriers. (Goldberg, et al 2015) …show more content…
diff is spread through the fecal-oral route. It is a bacteria that is prevalent in the hospital and long term care settings. The spore can survive in the environment for extended periods of time. Being exposed to C. diff and becoming infected with it is the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients making it a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital/institution acquired infection. In recent years, nosocomial infection rates have been reduced and account for less than half of all C. diff infections. It is spread from the infected patient as the spores are released through their feces. These spores are hard to kill and remain on objects such as toilet handles, bed pans, bed rails, bed linens, door handles, floors, and telephones. Touching these contaminated inanimate objects can easily spread these hardy spores. The spores are then transferred to other individual’s hands and then ingested. When the spores are ingested, they are resistant to the acid in the stomach. However, when the vegetative form of the organism is ingested, these acids are able to kill it. When the spores are able to pass into the small intestine, the bile activates the spores into a vegetative state. The organism then releases toxins which irritate the intestinal membranes and cause the diarrhea and colitis. (Patel,
There are many microbes that live in the human digestive tract. Most keep us regular and healthy. Some of these organisms keep others in check. When the balance of these good and bad organisms is disrupted, we can become sick. Clostridium difficile (C.diff or C.difficile) can grow out of control if this happens. This happens when a person is on antibiotics for another reason and the normal flora of the gut is eradicated. Clostridium difficile is typically found in hospitals and long term care facilities. It is found throughout the United States and the world. Healthy individuals may be carriers of the organism (3%), but adults in hospitals and long-term care centers account for 20-50% of carriers. (Goldberg, et al 2015) …show more content…
diff is spread through the fecal-oral route. It is a bacteria that is prevalent in the hospital and long term care settings. The spore can survive in the environment for extended periods of time. Being exposed to C. diff and becoming infected with it is the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients making it a nosocomial infection. A nosocomial infection is a hospital/institution acquired infection. In recent years, nosocomial infection rates have been reduced and account for less than half of all C. diff infections. It is spread from the infected patient as the spores are released through their feces. These spores are hard to kill and remain on objects such as toilet handles, bed pans, bed rails, bed linens, door handles, floors, and telephones. Touching these contaminated inanimate objects can easily spread these hardy spores. The spores are then transferred to other individual’s hands and then ingested. When the spores are ingested, they are resistant to the acid in the stomach. However, when the vegetative form of the organism is ingested, these acids are able to kill it. When the spores are able to pass into the small intestine, the bile activates the spores into a vegetative state. The organism then releases toxins which irritate the intestinal membranes and cause the diarrhea and colitis. (Patel,