Clostridium difficile Infection

Clostridioides difficile [klos–TRID–e–OY-dees dif–uh–SEEL] is a germ (bacteria) that causes life-threatening diarrhea. It is usually a side-effect of taking antibiotics.

These infections mostly occur in:

• People 65 and older who take antibiotics and receive medical care
• People staying in hospitals and nursing homes for a long period of time
• People with weakened immune systems or previous infection with C. diff

Symptoms might start within a few days or several weeks after you begin taking antibiotics.

Symptoms include:

• diarrhea: loose, watery stools (poop) for several days
• fever
• stomach tenderness
• loss of appetite
• nausea

C. diff can easily spread from person to person.

C. diff is a major health threat. A 2015 CDC study found that it caused almost half a million infections among patients in the United States in a single year. An estimated 15,000 deaths are directly attributable to C. difficile infections, making it a substantial cause of infectious disease death in the United States.