Beware of the dog

A poodle involved in a hospital visitation program in south-central Ontario was discovered to be carrying the C. difficile bacterial strain that has caused severe epidemics of the disease in Quebec, parts of the United States and Britain, a team of Canadian researchers reports. Their findings suggest hospitals should have clearer rules about which rooms therapy animals are allowed to visit and underscores the need for staff and patients to wash their hands before and after contact with a visiting dog or cat, the authors suggest.