When people say "C. diff" (pronounced "see diff"), they mean an infection by the Clostridium difficile bacterium. Many people carry this bacterium in their GI tract normally. However, if these people take antibiotics, C. difficile can tough it out while other bacteria are killed. A bit later, C. difficile can overgrow and become a real problem. Clindamycin is the antibiotic that is most associated with C. difficile infection, but almost any antibiotic can trigger it, including penicillins. Rarely, C. difficile infection can occur without antibiotic use. Staying in a hospital increases one's risk of developing C. difficile infection. Treatment of C. difficile involves discontinuing the previous antibiotic and giving specific antibiotics that kill C. difficile. Antibiotics effective against C. difficile include vancomycin (taken orally) and metronidazole. Hope that helped!
Chat with our AI personalities