Spotlight on Clostridium difficile (C.diff)

Clostridium difficile is a type of bacteria that can affect your bowel and cause diarrhoea. Its name is usually shortened to C.difficile or sometimes, C.diff.

C.diff infection most commonly affects people who’ve had a course of antibiotics in the last month or so and have been in or are in hospital or long-term care homes. However, it can spread to others via the faecal oral route which is down to poor hand hygiene often.

C.diff is carried by lots of people without causing a problem but when taking antibiotics for another illness it can become an infection. You’re more at risk of getting C.difficile infection if you’re taking broad spectrum antibiotics. These are antibiotics that are used against a variety of bacteria. However, they can also destroy the natural bacteria in your bowel, leading to the overgrowth of C.difficile.

It can spread easily from person to person via touching contaminated surfaces. For example, healthcare workers and those in hospital can spread the bacteria by touching a contaminated surface (such as furniture, toilets and taps). The bacteria can live for a long time on these surfaces and they reproduce by spreading spores in the environment that can withstand cleaning with normal detergent.

How can you stop the spread of C.diff?

It’s very important to stop the spread of C.difficile, especially if you’re infected with it, or you’ve been in contact with someone who has it.

You can do this by making sure you regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water. This is especially important after going to the toilet and before preparing or eating food.

You should also regularly clean your kitchen and bathroom using disinfectant or household detergents containing chlorine.

If you’re in hospital and have C.difficile infection, you’ll usually be moved into a single room or to an area where other people also have the infection. The hospital staff will follow strict hygiene rules to prevent spreading the C.difficile infection. Any visitors you have should wash their hands with soap and warm water before and after they visit you. Alcohol gels aren’t very effective at killing C.difficile, so won’t prevent the infection.