Clostridioides difficile is a gram-positive bacteria associated with antibiotic-related diarrhea cases. This bacterium causes infection of the large intestine. The severity of the disease ranges from moderate diarrhea to fulminant colitis and mortality. Transmission is often through feces, soil, and contaminated water.
Epidemiology
C. difficile affects around 500,000 Americans annually. Within a month of being diagnosed with C. difficile infection, around 29,000 individuals die, with 15,000 fatalities directly attributable to the infection. Contrary to common assumption, this infection is hospital-acquired; about 41% of the cases are community-acquired.
According to studies, it frequently affects populations, with an increased prevalence of infection amongst younger individuals and individuals who have never been exposed to antibiotics.
Over five years, the CDC projects that medical expenses would be saved up to $3.8 billion. The misuse of antibiotics makes patients more susceptible to infections. Over 50% of hospitalized patients receive an antibiotic, and 30-50% of antibiotic prescriptions are unwarranted or inaccurate.
Anatomy
Pathophysiology
Healthy adults have a robust immune system and can carry the disease without showing symptoms. Due to the absence of intestinal receptors for the bacteria, neonates also have a high asymptomatic carrier rate.
The large intestine’s microbial flora is altered by antibiotic usage, making it vulnerable to C. difficile infection. C. difficile is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Clostridial glycosylation exotoxins, toxin A, an enterotoxin, and toxin B, a cytotoxic toxin, induce diarrhea and colitis. Toxin A has a binding site for carbohydrate receptors that enables toxin A and toxin B to inhibit.
While toxin A and toxin B are involved in the chemotaxis of neutrophils, toxin-A directly activates neutrophils. Both toxins harm colonocytes, disrupt tight intercellular junctions, and result in colitis after getting intracellular and inactivating pathways controlled by the Rho family of proteins.
Etiology
C. difficile is a toxin-producing, obligate anaerobe, spore-forming, with a drumstick-like structure. The bacterium is frequently discovered in soil, water, human and animal feces, hospital overlays, and air. A temperature of about 37 ℃ is ideal for the growth of most organisms. The fecal-oral pathway is the primary method of disease transmission.
Toxin A and toxin B are the two main pathogenic agents the organism produces. At the same time, most of the pathogenic strains are connected to C. Both toxin A and B are produced during a difficile infection, while strains that only produce toxin B have been identified worldwide. The most significant risk factor for C. difficile infection is antibiotic use.
The cause of the disease has been linked to several kinds of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, cephalosporins, and penicillin. Other risk factors associated with the pathogenesis, besides the use of antibiotics, include the use of proton pump inhibitors, old age, chemotherapy, chronic liver disease, malnutrition, and chronic renal illness.
Genetics
Prognostic Factors
The prognosis depends on early disease detection, isolation of the patient, improved hand hygiene, and environmental sanitation, which are effective C. difficile infection prevention techniques.
Initial infection:
200 mg orally twice a day for 10 days
Recurrent infection:
200 mg orally twice a day for 5 days followed by 200 mg once every other day for 20 days
No dosage adjustment was described for renal/hepatic impairment
For Infants >6 months, children and adolescents:
4 to <7 kg:
80 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
7 to <9 kg:
120 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
9 to 12.5 kg:
160 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
>12.5 kg:
200 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
Future Trends
Media Gallary
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431054/
News
Vaping’s ‘95% Safer’ Claim Debated for Youth Health
Posted on
News
Google DeepMind’s AI Revolutionizes the Search for Disease Genes
Posted on
News
Mosquitoes Pose New Challenge to Public Health
Posted on
News
3D-Printed e3-skin Redefines Wearable Health Monitoring
Clostridioides difficile is a gram-positive bacteria associated with antibiotic-related diarrhea cases. This bacterium causes infection of the large intestine. The severity of the disease ranges from moderate diarrhea to fulminant colitis and mortality. Transmission is often through feces, soil, and contaminated water.
C. difficile affects around 500,000 Americans annually. Within a month of being diagnosed with C. difficile infection, around 29,000 individuals die, with 15,000 fatalities directly attributable to the infection. Contrary to common assumption, this infection is hospital-acquired; about 41% of the cases are community-acquired.
According to studies, it frequently affects populations, with an increased prevalence of infection amongst younger individuals and individuals who have never been exposed to antibiotics.
Over five years, the CDC projects that medical expenses would be saved up to $3.8 billion. The misuse of antibiotics makes patients more susceptible to infections. Over 50% of hospitalized patients receive an antibiotic, and 30-50% of antibiotic prescriptions are unwarranted or inaccurate.
Healthy adults have a robust immune system and can carry the disease without showing symptoms. Due to the absence of intestinal receptors for the bacteria, neonates also have a high asymptomatic carrier rate.
The large intestine’s microbial flora is altered by antibiotic usage, making it vulnerable to C. difficile infection. C. difficile is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Clostridial glycosylation exotoxins, toxin A, an enterotoxin, and toxin B, a cytotoxic toxin, induce diarrhea and colitis. Toxin A has a binding site for carbohydrate receptors that enables toxin A and toxin B to inhibit.
While toxin A and toxin B are involved in the chemotaxis of neutrophils, toxin-A directly activates neutrophils. Both toxins harm colonocytes, disrupt tight intercellular junctions, and result in colitis after getting intracellular and inactivating pathways controlled by the Rho family of proteins.
C. difficile is a toxin-producing, obligate anaerobe, spore-forming, with a drumstick-like structure. The bacterium is frequently discovered in soil, water, human and animal feces, hospital overlays, and air. A temperature of about 37 ℃ is ideal for the growth of most organisms. The fecal-oral pathway is the primary method of disease transmission.
Toxin A and toxin B are the two main pathogenic agents the organism produces. At the same time, most of the pathogenic strains are connected to C. Both toxin A and B are produced during a difficile infection, while strains that only produce toxin B have been identified worldwide. The most significant risk factor for C. difficile infection is antibiotic use.
The cause of the disease has been linked to several kinds of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, cephalosporins, and penicillin. Other risk factors associated with the pathogenesis, besides the use of antibiotics, include the use of proton pump inhibitors, old age, chemotherapy, chronic liver disease, malnutrition, and chronic renal illness.
The prognosis depends on early disease detection, isolation of the patient, improved hand hygiene, and environmental sanitation, which are effective C. difficile infection prevention techniques.
Initial infection:
200 mg orally twice a day for 10 days
Recurrent infection:
200 mg orally twice a day for 5 days followed by 200 mg once every other day for 20 days
No dosage adjustment was described for renal/hepatic impairment
For Infants >6 months, children and adolescents:
4 to <7 kg:
80 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
7 to <9 kg:
120 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
9 to 12.5 kg:
160 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
>12.5 kg:
200 mg oral suspension twice a day for 10 days
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431054/
medtigo
Clostridioides infection
Updated :
August 9, 2023
Clostridioides difficile is a gram-positive bacteria associated with antibiotic-related diarrhea cases. This bacterium causes infection of the large intestine. The severity of the disease ranges from moderate diarrhea to fulminant colitis and mortality. Transmission is often through feces, soil, and contaminated water.
C. difficile affects around 500,000 Americans annually. Within a month of being diagnosed with C. difficile infection, around 29,000 individuals die, with 15,000 fatalities directly attributable to the infection. Contrary to common assumption, this infection is hospital-acquired; about 41% of the cases are community-acquired.
According to studies, it frequently affects populations, with an increased prevalence of infection amongst younger individuals and individuals who have never been exposed to antibiotics.
Over five years, the CDC projects that medical expenses would be saved up to $3.8 billion. The misuse of antibiotics makes patients more susceptible to infections. Over 50% of hospitalized patients receive an antibiotic, and 30-50% of antibiotic prescriptions are unwarranted or inaccurate.
Healthy adults have a robust immune system and can carry the disease without showing symptoms. Due to the absence of intestinal receptors for the bacteria, neonates also have a high asymptomatic carrier rate.
The large intestine’s microbial flora is altered by antibiotic usage, making it vulnerable to C. difficile infection. C. difficile is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Clostridial glycosylation exotoxins, toxin A, an enterotoxin, and toxin B, a cytotoxic toxin, induce diarrhea and colitis. Toxin A has a binding site for carbohydrate receptors that enables toxin A and toxin B to inhibit.
While toxin A and toxin B are involved in the chemotaxis of neutrophils, toxin-A directly activates neutrophils. Both toxins harm colonocytes, disrupt tight intercellular junctions, and result in colitis after getting intracellular and inactivating pathways controlled by the Rho family of proteins.
C. difficile is a toxin-producing, obligate anaerobe, spore-forming, with a drumstick-like structure. The bacterium is frequently discovered in soil, water, human and animal feces, hospital overlays, and air. A temperature of about 37 ℃ is ideal for the growth of most organisms. The fecal-oral pathway is the primary method of disease transmission.
Toxin A and toxin B are the two main pathogenic agents the organism produces. At the same time, most of the pathogenic strains are connected to C. Both toxin A and B are produced during a difficile infection, while strains that only produce toxin B have been identified worldwide. The most significant risk factor for C. difficile infection is antibiotic use.
The cause of the disease has been linked to several kinds of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, cephalosporins, and penicillin. Other risk factors associated with the pathogenesis, besides the use of antibiotics, include the use of proton pump inhibitors, old age, chemotherapy, chronic liver disease, malnutrition, and chronic renal illness.
The prognosis depends on early disease detection, isolation of the patient, improved hand hygiene, and environmental sanitation, which are effective C. difficile infection prevention techniques.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431054/
Free CME credits
Both our subscription plans include Free CME/CPD AMA PRA Category 1 credits.
Digital Certificate PDF
On course completion, you will receive a full-sized presentation quality digital certificate.
medtigo Simulation
A dynamic medical simulation platform designed to train healthcare professionals and students to effectively run code situations through an immersive hands-on experience in a live, interactive 3D environment.
medtigo Points
medtigo points is our unique point redemption system created to award users for interacting on our site. These points can be redeemed for special discounts on the medtigo marketplace as well as towards the membership cost itself.
Community Forum post/reply = 5 points
*Redemption of points can occur only through the medtigo marketplace, courses, or simulation system. Money will not be credited to your bank account. 10 points = $1.
All Your Certificates in One Place
When you have your licenses, certificates and CMEs in one place, it's easier to track your career growth. You can easily share these with hospitals as well, using your medtigo app.
