Clostridium difficile kills ten patients a day

Nearly 10 people are dying every day from the superbug Clostridium difficile.

Official figures show 6,480 death certificates in 2006 mentioned the bug, compared with 3,757 the year before - a rise of 72 per cent.

The increase comes after the Government told doctors in 2005 to note healthcare-acquired infections on death certificates.

The number which gave C.diff as the underlying cause of death rose from 2,063 in 2005 to 3,490 in 2006 in England and Wales (UK)- almost 10 a day.

Prof Brian Duerden, the Government's chief microbiologist, said the rise in death certificates mentioning C.diff was due to better reporting and overall infection rates were falling.

He added: "Since 2006 we have taken significant steps to tackle infections. These include stringent hand-washing guidance for the NHS, a bare-below-the- elbows dress code, putting matrons back in charge of cleanliness on their wards and an ongoing deep clean of every ward."

C - difficile is a bacteria in your intestines. It is found normally in healthy and ill people alike. There are millions, perhaps billions of different types of bacteria in your body. Bacteria are an important part of your health. They help break down and digest food. They also ward off many "bad" or foreign bacteria that you may come in contact with. In fact, the "good" or normal bacteria on your hands can kill certain bad bacteria which you may pick up handling food or touching everyday items and fixtures.

Your body has lots of "good" and necessary bacteria. It also has some "bad" or dangerous bacteria. Clostridium difficile is a "bad" bacteria. Fortunately, when you are healthy and not taking antibiotics, the millions of good bacteria in your system keep the c - diff under control and in smaller numbers. However, when you take an antibiotic, the levels of good bacteria are reduced down to a smaller number. If your c-diff is strong and doesn't get killed by the antibiotic along with the good bacteria, then it is possible that the c-diff will overpopulate inside your intestine or colon. When this happens, you may get the illness called clostridium difficile colitis.

When you have an imbalance of bacteria and c-diff takes over, it creates two main types of toxins that affect your body and give you the symptoms of the actual disease. The toxins attack your intestinal wall and left untreated may cause ulcerations. Your symptoms may include diarrhea and cramping at first. The later stages are commonly flu-like symptoms of weakness, dehydration, fever, nausea, vomiting and in advanced stages - blood in your stool / feces. If a patient is left untreated, they can die from it.
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Although the antibiotic clindamycin (Cleocin) has been widely recognized as causing C. difficile colitis, many commonly prescribed antibiotics also cause colitis. Examples of antibiotics that frequently cause C. difficile colitis include ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cephalosporins (such as Keflex).

Antibiotics that occasionally cause C. difficile colitis include penicillin, erythromycin, trimethoprim, and quinolones such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro).

Antibiotics that rarely if ever cause C. difficile colitis include tetracycline, metronidazole (Flagyl), vancomycin (Vancocin), and aminoglycosides (such as Gentamycin). In fact, metronidazole and vancomycin are two antibiotics that are used for treating C. difficile colitis; however, there are rare reports of C. difficile colitis occurring several days after stopping metronidazole.

While most C. difficile colitis in the US is caused by antibiotics, C. difficile colitis also can occur in patients without exposure to antibiotics. For example, patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have been known to develop C. difficile colitis without exposure to antibiotics.
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It is possible for the infection to spread from person to person because those suffering from C. difficile -associated disease shed spores in their faeces.

Spores can survive for a very long time in the environment and can be transported on the hands of health care personnel who have direct contact with infected patients or with environmental surfaces (floors, bedpans, toilets etc.) contaminated with C. difficile.
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