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Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic gram-positive bacterium, the multiplication of which in the human body can lead to pseudomembranous colitis. What are the causes and symptoms of bacterial infection Clostridium difficile? We check the diagnosis and treatment of symptoms caused by the multiplication of anaerobic sticks.

Clostridium Diffiicile bacterium – what is it characterized by?

Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium that can move around. It is common in the environment, it co-creates the bacterial flora of many animal species. It also occurs in humans, but only in newborns and young children who have undeveloped appropriate receptors located in the intestinal epithelium that would cause symptomatic bacterial infection to occur. In some adults Clostridium difficile also occurs. It belongs to the bacterial flora.

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In most cases, the accumulation of bacteria in the intestines leads to infection, because the pathogenic strain is responsible for the production of toxin A and toxin B, as well as hydrolytic enzymes. Toxins A and B are responsible for the destruction of the cytoskeleton or the destruction of intercellular connections, which may eventually lead to colitis.

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Clostridium difficile infection – causes

Until infection Clostridium difficile most often it occurs in a hospital setting. Bacteria build up in the gut when a patient is taking broad-spectrum antibiotics because by destroying the normal bacterial flora, they enable the multiplication of non-susceptible bacteria, which also includes Clostridium difficile.

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They can spread thanks to the spores excreted in the faeces of an infected person, so they can multiply in toilets or in bedding, which means that the direct cause may be a lack of proper personal hygiene.

Clostridium difficile – what factors increase the risk of infection?

Factors that increase the risk of bacterial contamination Clostridium difficile, belongs:

  1. The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics – these include, first of all, XNUMXnd and XNUMXrd generation cephalosporins, clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, and penicillins with a broad spectrum of activity, apart from ticcillin with clavulanate and piperacillin with tazobactam,
Attention

A single dose of a selected broad-spectrum antibiotic may cause the development of Clostridium difficile infection.

  1. Taking proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists,
  2. Age of the patient – the risk of contracting Clostridium difficile increases after the age of 65. It is the lowest between the ages of 5 and 14. It grows gradually after the age of 46,
  3. Hospitalization – a high degree of contamination of the hospital environment mainly concerns toilets and hands of staff, as well as the lack of alcohol used for hand antisepsis,
  4. Chemotherapy,
  5. Immobilization of the patient.

Clostridium difficile infection – symptoms

The most common symptoms of infection Clostridium difficile they occur 5-10 days after infection, but they may appear after taking a single dose of an antibiotic, the more so as for 90 percent. For infections, it is precisely the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that responds. The characteristic symptom is diarrhea, which may be accompanied by fever, leukocytosis and cramping abdominal pain.

In 25 percent severe pseudomembranous colitis is characterized by severe diarrhea, severe dehydration, high fever and lower abdominal pain.

Severe infection may develop sepsis, shock, intestinal perforation or multiple organ failure – these are conditions that directly threaten the patient’s life.

Clostridium difficile infection – what is the diagnosis?

Diagnosis of bacterial infection Clostridium difficile it consists in carrying out a stool culture test to detect not only bacteria but also toxins A and B, which can also be detected by latex agglutination or by testing for neutralization of cytoxicity in cell culture. The last test is the most sensitive, but it takes 3 days to complete. It is not available in the hospital laboratory.

You can also do diagnostics by ordering a stool mail-order test for Clostridium difficile through Medonet Market.

  1. Why is it worth examining feces?

Treatment of Clostridium difficile – what is it?

Treating the infection Clostridium difficile consists in:

  1. Discontinuation of the antibiotic,
  2. Discontinuation of proton pump inhibitors,
  3. Use of constipating drugs,
  4. Taking vancomycin and metronidazole.

In addition to medication, it is very important to hydrate the patient. Moreover, it is not always possible to cure the disease. About 20 percent. patients experience recurrence of the infection.

How can I prevent Clostridium difficile infection?

If we want to prevent bacterial contamination Clostridium difficileFirst of all, we must remember about hygiene, especially when visiting hospitals and nursing homes. We should not sit on patients’ beds and thoroughly disinfect our hands after leaving the facility.

In addition, it is very important to take probiotics along with antibiotics. They rebuild the bacterial flora of the stomach and thus close the way for Clostridium difficile to multiply.

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