Many people are very concerned about the outbreaks of  health care acquired infections that have recently been widely reported in hospitals and other settings.   These infections have been traced to the bacteria Clostridium difficile,  also known as C. difficile.  This is a highly infectious pathogen that is very resistant to many front line commonly utilized antibiotics.

The following may increase your risk of getting C. difficile infection …..

• Hospital stay: Staying in a hospital too long or sharing a room with a C. difficile infected person increases your risk.
• Nasogastric tube: A common medical procedure involves using a NG tube or NGT.  This is typically put into your nose and down your stomach to feed you or keep your stomach empty.  Having an NGT may promote a C. difficile infection
• Age: Elderly are more susceptible to C. difficile infections as the body  changes  overtime.  Newborn babies also have an increased risk of being infected
• Antacids: These medicines decrease the stomach acid that can kill harmful bacteria.
• Antibodies: Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria, including the good ones.  Taking such medicines may upset the balance between the good and bad bacteria in the colon.
• Dormant Infection: The C. difficile bacteria from a previous infection may still be in your system and could cause another infection.
• Weak Immune System: The immune (body’s defense) system is that part of your body that fights infection. Chemotherapy and other medicines, such as steroids, decrease your immune system and make it weak.  Having surgeries or procedures, such as an organ transplant, in the past may also affect your body defenses.

So, what can you do to decrease your risk of acquiring C. difficile?

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