Ecolab Experts on Microbes - Clostridium difficile
In this video, John Hanlin, Ph.D., Ecolab vice president of Food Safety and Public Health, explains the importance of monitoring and prevention of Clostridium difficile, commonly referred to as C. difficile or C. diff.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. It is the most frequently identified cause of hospital-acquired diarrheal infection. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with state health departments estimate that C. difficile causes almost half a million illnesses each year in the U.S. resulting in 29,300 deaths. About one quarter of these illnesses occurred in hospital settings. Nursing homes and outpatient healthcare settings were also cited as significant sources of C. difficile infection.
C. difficile forms an endospore or a dormant state with increased resistance when conditions in the human or animal body or the environment become unfavorable for it to survive in its vegetative (actively growing) state. In the endospore stage, C. difficile spores will not be destroyed on environmental surfaces by disinfectants. The combination of the presence of C. difficile in hospitals and healthcare settings and the number of people receiving antibiotics in these settings can lead to frequent outbreaks.
Infections acquired in hospitals and healthcare settings such as C. difficile are a growing public health problem. From helping to provide sanitation in healthcare settings to hand hygiene programs for healthcare employees, Ecolab is a global leader in maintaining healthy environments.
