...Clostridium Difficlie (C diff) Clostridium Difficlie, also known as C diff, is a bacterium infection that has symptoms of diarrhea but can also have life threatening inflammation of the colon (staff, 2012). C. diff most commonly affects older adults primarily those that are hospitalized or in a long term care setting (staff, 2012). “An epidemic of Clostridium difficle in the United States is now killing some 12,000 patients annually, in part because neither alcohol rubs nor soap and water used in the vast majority of hospitals can effectively remove the spore-forming bacillus from the hands of health care workers, researchers are finding” (Hand hygiene woes impact C.diff response, 2010,pg 76).Let’s explore Clostridium difficle a little, how it is transmitted, the environmental factors, standard treatments and ways to help prevent the spread of Clostridium Difficlie. Clostridium Difficlie bacteria are passed in feces and thru food, they are also on surfaces or objects where people fail to wash their hands when they are infected. These bacteria spores can last in a room for weeks or even months so if you touch an infected surface you can unknowingly ingest the bacteria (staff, 2012). Normally healthy people don’t get sick from the bacteria because your body contains many types of bacteria that will fight off the infection. However, many people get C. diff following a treatment with antibiotics. “The antibiotics that most often lead to C. difficle infections include fluoroquinolones...
Words: 856 - Pages: 4
...Clostridium Difficlie Amy Roger Margaret Mcgannon Learning about Clostridium difficile Clostridium difficile also known a C. difficile or C. diff is an inflammatory infection created in the intestine primarily caused by taking antibiotics. Most people don’t show symptoms of having the C. diff bacteria in your intestines until that person has taken a course of antibiotics. Clostridium difficile bacteria can be found anywhere in the environment. It is found is soil, water, human and animal feces, food products and processed meats (Mayo clinic staff, 2013). Treatments to cure C. diff include antibiotics and surgery. Once having C. diff you want to make sure that you can prevent from getting it again. The best way to prevent from getting C. diff for the first time or a recurring time is to simply wash your hands, avoid unsanitary environments, disinfect surfaces that could possibly be infected, and try to avoid antibiotics when possible (Mayo clinic staff, 2013). Every person has bacteria already in their intestines that help to fight off illness and other bad bacteria that are introduced into the body. When a person takes antibiotics it not only kills that bad bacteria but also kills the good bacteria as well. If a person has Clostridium difficile bacteria in their system it allows the bacteria to grow and causes inflammation in the intestines. Once someone has the Clostridium difficile bacteria in their body and taking antibiotics it allows them to grow out of control causing...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...VOORLETTERS EN VAN/INITIALS AND SURNAME:………………………………………….. STUDENTE NOMMER/STUDENT NUMBER:………………………………………….…………... GEEN SAKREKENAARS WORD TOEGELAAT NIE NO CALCULATORS ARE PERMITTED |UNIVERSITEIT VAN STELLENBOSCH |UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH | |DEPARTEMENT MIKROBIOLOGIE |DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY | |SEMESTERTOETS 2012 |SEMESTER TEST 2012 | |MIKROBIOLOGIE 244 |MICROBIOLOGY 244 | | | |Punte/Marks: 120 |Tyd/Time: 2 uur/hours | Beantwoord alle vrae. Beantwoord Afdeling A op die vraestel en beantwoord Afdeling B in die eksamenboek. Answer all the questions. Answer Section A on the questionnaire and answer Section B in the exam book. AFDELING A/SECTION A Omkring die letter wat ooreenstem met die korrekte antwoord by Vrae 1 tot 30. Vul die korrekte antwoord in vir Vrae 31 en 32. / Circle the letter corresponding to the correct answer...
Words: 2148 - Pages: 9
...1. Clostridium difficile (C. dif) a. What is Clostridium difficile? Clostridium difficile is a gram positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium. C. difficile bacteria naturally reside in the body and this bacteria is capable of forming spores. b. What are the symptoms of C. difficile disease? Symptoms of C. difficile disease include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain/tenderness. With the elderly population being more susceptible to complications of dehydration, this disease is of great concern for them. c. How is C. difficle disease transmitted? C. difficile is transmitted through contact. Infection can occur if surfaces become contaminated with feces and an individual touches that surface and introduces the bacteria into their mouth or mucous membranes. This is important to remember when using commodes, bath tubs, and rectal thermometers. All of these things can be reservoirs for C. difficile spores. d. How can one prevent the spread of C. difficile infection? Preventing the spread of C. difficile can be accomplished by being diligent with hand washing and by cleaning surfaces regularly with disinfectants. Hypochlorite based disinfectants have shown the most success in hospital cleansing routines. Hospitals must take special precautions when cleaning a room after a patient with C. difficile has occupied it. Patients with C. difficile will usually be on isolation precautions in a private room or be...
Words: 2632 - Pages: 11
...A. R. K Baker ENG 102 4 May 2012 Microorganisms at Work This topic is about how microorganisms continue to live in hospital rooms even after the rooms have been cleaned. The organisms that concern me are the multi resistant ones. It starts with a patient who is in isolation because of one of these bacteria’s and then discharged from the hospital after they are well. If these organisms are on the bedside table or the handrails the patient is already cured so it will not affect them. What about the patient coming in the room next? It is left to the housekeepers to clean the room well enough to prevent the spread of these infections. These infections that are spread from one patient to another are called nosocomial infections. They are hospital acquired bacteria’s. I came to this topic after my daughter had this exact thing happen to her. She is a brittle diabetic and at one point required a lot of hospital visits. After one of these visits she started to develop a boil. This in turn caused her blood sugar to go up and we ended up back in the hospital. Thinking the boil was a spider bite we were surprised to find out it was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). They explained that it was a nosocomial infection that was probably acquired on our last hospital visit. When asked how she got it they said it was multi resistant and was passed from something she came in contact with that another patient would have touched. This is a problem that has been on the...
Words: 1505 - Pages: 7
...There are several people who use antibiotics for the wrong reasons. Some people think that using antibiotics will get rid of a cold or the flu virus faster or clear up a skin condition. Antibiotics should only be consumed for the infectious illness in which they were suggested for. Antibiotics are abused world-wide, and abuse of the medication can do more harm than help. I chose to research antibiotic abuse and the underlying issues with antibiotics. Antibiotics are being abused in so many ways by people and industries everywhere. The focus will be on agricultural abuse of antibiotics, human abuse, and antibiotic resistance. I will conduct various phone or face to face interviews with individuals as well as provide a questionnaire survey to obtain the information needed for this particular project. What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are “A medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms”, (What You Should Know about Antibiotics, 2012, p. 3). Antibiotics are used to treat various infections within the body cavity. They help ward off unwanted illnesses. There are various types of antibiotics each one has a significant role in fighting bacteria or fungal infections. “How do antibiotics work? When properly prescribed for a bacterial illness, antibiotics join forces with your body’s own defenses and literally wage war against invading bacteria. Some antibiotics dissolve the protective cell wall of an organism, rupturing and...
Words: 1681 - Pages: 7
...Clostridium difficile, also known as "CDF/cdf", or "C. diff", is a species of Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium that causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal disease when competing bacteria in the gut flora have been wiped out by antibiotics. Clostridia are anaerobic, spore-forming rods. C. difficile is the most serious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis, a severe inflammation of the colon, often resulting from eradication of the normal gut flora by antibiotics. In a very small percentage of the adult population, C. difficile bacteria naturally reside in the gut. Other people accidentally ingest spores of the bacteria while they are patients in a hospital, nursing home, or similar facility. When the bacteria are in a colon in which the normal gut flora has been destroyed (usually after a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as clindamycin has been used), the gut becomes overrun with C. difficile. This overpopulation is harmful because the bacteria release toxins that can cause bloating and diarrhea, with abdominal pain, which may become severe. C. difficile infections are the most common cause of pseudomembranous colitis, and in rare cases this can progress to toxic megacolon, which can be life-threatening. Latent symptoms of C. difficile infection often mimic some flu-like symptoms and can mimic disease flare in patients with inflammatory bowel disease-associated colitis.[4] Mild cases of C. difficile...
Words: 2925 - Pages: 12
...Running head: CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE Clostridium difficile Jane Doe A University Clostridium difficile Pathophysiology Clostridium difficile is a gram positive, spore forming anaerobic bacillus, which may or may not carry the genes for toxin A-B production (Nipa, 2010). These two types of protein exotoxins produced by the Clostridium difficile bacillus, toxin A and toxin B, can have an infectious form and a non-active, non-infectious form (Grossman, 2010). The infectious form can survive for a short duration of time in the environment. The spores can survive for a longer period of time in the environment and are not infectious unless and until they are ingested or are transformed into an infectious state (Nipa, 2010). Together, the two toxins cause a large number of inflammatory mediators to descend on the colon, triggering more colitis and colonic ulcerations. Purulent debris then results, contributing to the development of a pseudomembrane. With the activation of the inflammatory response, the released mediators cause fluid secretion and increased permeability at the mucosal membrane and predispose the patient to diarrhea as well as drastic electrolyte and fluid shifts (Grossman, 2010). Signs and Symptoms Symptoms caused by infection with Clostridium difficile range from mild diarrhea to profuse, watery diarrhea accompanied by severe inflammation of the intestine (Gould, 2010). Patient may complain of foul smelling diarrhea (Grossman, 2010). Symptoms may also...
Words: 811 - Pages: 4
...Nosocomial Infections Monica Butler Strayer University Dr. Godson Ezejiofo HSA 535 Managerial Epidemiology January 25, 2015 Introduction Good Health Hospital has proved to be among the best hospitals in the region since its inception. The medical professionals and all members of staff are always committed to ensuring delivery of quality services to patients. The hospital has had a good reputation of excellent staff, good patient relations and top quality services. In the recent past, several cases of E. coli have been reported at Good Health Hospital. E. coli exists in a variety of types but most varieties a less harmful to human health. Research by medical professionals has shown that E. coli bacteria live in the intestines, for both people and animals. Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting (Bennett, Jarvis & Brachman, 2007). E. coli emanates from taking contaminated food and water. E. coli may lead to death or permanent health problems if appropriate measures are taken on time. Nosocomial diseases can be termed as an infection that a person gets while being attend to in a health institution. The goal for this task is to explore the nosocomial infections, intervention strategies and recommendations on how to control and manage the various types of nosocomial infections. Analysis of Good Health Hospital records Records of Good Health Hospital show that a number of nosocomial diseases have been reported. Among the commonest...
Words: 1331 - Pages: 6
...These precautions require healthcare professionals (physicians, nurse practitioners & physician assistants) entering the room to wear gloves and a gown. Upon exiting, healthcare professionals remove the gown and gloves and perform hand hygiene. Infections such as rotavirus, Clostridium difficile or a type of rash warrants contact precautions. An observational study done on Multidrug- Resistant Organisms (MDRO) showed the adherence rates for entrances and exits on complying with contact precautions. The study looked at three hospitals in New York City. The adherence rate for entrance by healthcare professionals was 19.4% and the rate for exit was 48.4% (Clock, Cohen, Behta, Ross, & Larson, 2010). Contact precautions are meant to decrease the risk of transmitting infections. The article showed how the problem is not the provision of gowns or gloves, but rather the adherence by healthcare professionals. To further support this evidence, a study of 199 interactions between healthcare professionals in an ICU with MDRO precautions...
Words: 882 - Pages: 4
...Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can infect the bowel and cause diarrhea. The risk factors of getting Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) includes patients that have been treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, more susceptible people and hospitalization (1). Patients in hospital have higher chances to get CDI because the spores of Clostridium difficile can be accidentally ingested which may be transported by infected patients to others. Besides that, taking antibiotic can lead to loss of commensal and normal bacteria thus promote the growth of Clostridium difficile (2). Symptoms of a people carry this bacterium in their intestines usually develops within 10 days after they started a course of broad spectrum of antibiotic (2). The common symptoms of a people getting CDI are people might suffered include water diarrhoea 10 to 15 times a day, painful tummy cramps, signs of dehydration, loss of appetite, blood or pus in the stool and nausea (2). These can cause associated problems to CDI. First, severe water diarrhea can result in dehydration due to the loss of fluid and eventually may cause kidney failure. Besides that, in rare condition, if the colon is unable to expel toxic gas, it may swell and is known as toxic megacolon (2). Furthermore, patients will have chances of...
Words: 395 - Pages: 2
...I chose Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which causes botulism, a serious, sometimes fatal condition. There are five main types of botulism including foodborne, wound, infant, adult intestinal toxemia, and iatrogenic (occurring from accidental overdose of botulinum toxin) (Nantel, 1999). Clostridium botulinum is a gram positive, anaerobic (i.e. grows best in low-oxygen conditions) rod-shaped bacterium. The species forms spores which allow the bacteria to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions that can support their growth. Botulinum neurotoxin is absorbed from the intestinal tract or from the infected wound site and transported to the neuromuscular endings (Nantel, 1999). There it blocks excitatory synaptic transmission and the release of acetylcholine, causing paralysis. Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, dry mouth, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, muscle weakness, and descending paralysis (Nantel, 1999). If left untreated, botulism may ultimately cause paralysis of the muscles necessary for respiration, leading to respiratory failure and death. Sources: Nantel, A. (1999). “Clostridium botulinum.” World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/csr/delibepidemics/clostridiumbotulism.pdf WILEY PLUS: Black, J. G. (2008). Microbiology: Principles and explorations (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. I chose the bacterium Streptococcal which causes strep throat. The most common type is by group A beta-hemolytic...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...Gowning by attendants and visitors in newborn nurseries for prevention of neonatal morbidity and mortality Webster J, Pritchard MA Background - Methods - Results - Characteristics of Included Studies - References - Data Tables and Graphs [pic] Dates Date edited: 19/05/2006 Date of last substantive update: 31/01/2003 Date of last minor update: 05/04/2006 Date next stage expected 31/05/2006 Protocol first published: Issue 2, 2002 Review first published: Issue 3, 2003 Contact reviewer Joan Webster Nursing Director, Research Teaching and Research Royal Brisbane and Royal Women's Hospital and Health Service Districts Level 6, Ned Hanlon Building Butterfield Street Herston QLD AUSTRALIA 4029 Telephone 1: +61 7 3636 8590 Telephone 2: +61 7 3636 3140 Facsimile: +61 7 3636 2123 E-mail: joan_webster@health.qld.gov.au Contribution of reviewers Internal sources of support None External sources of support Centre for Clinical Studies - Women's and Children's Health, Mater Hospital, Sth Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA Department of Health and Ageing, Commonwealth Government, Canberra ACT, AUSTRALIA What's new This review updates the existing review of "Gowning by attendants and visitors in newborn nurseries for prevention of neonatal morbidity and mortality" which was published in The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2003 (Webster 2003). No new trials were identified as a result of this updated search. The conclusions of the review are...
Words: 6846 - Pages: 28
...d Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guide > Chapter 13: Clostridium botulinum Toxin Form… 06/06/2012 U.S. Food & Drug Administration Food Home Food Guidance, Compliance & Regulatory Information Guidance Documents Chapter 13: Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation (A Biological Hazard) - 3rd Edition A later version 1 of this guidance issued in April 2011. Below is an earlier version. June 2001 Fish and Fisheries Products Hazards and Controls Guidance Third Edition Return to table of contents 2 Hazard Analysis Worksheet STEP #10: Understand the potential hazard. Clostridium botulinum toxin formation can result in consumer illness and death. This chapter covers the potential for C. botulinum growth and toxin formation as a result of time/temperature abuse during processing, storage and distribution. The growth of other pathogens and the formation of other toxins as a result of time/temperature abuse during processing are covered in Chapters 7 (histamine formation), 12 (pathogen growth during processing other than C. botulinum), and 15 (Staphylococcus aureus toxin formation in hydrated batter mixes). Additionally, the prevention of C. botulinum toxin formation during storage and distribution of the finished product by drying is covered in Chapter 14. The prevention of C. botulinum toxin formation during storage and distribution of the finished product by specialized cooking and hot filling procedures is covered in Chapter 16. The prevention of C. botulinum toxin...
Words: 13298 - Pages: 54
...Alexander J. Wallace Anatomy & Physiology CP Mr. Bernier February 29, 2012 A Botched Vacation Clostridium Botulinum is a rod-shaped breed of bacteria that produces several toxins that can damage or harm the human body. The bacteria grow most effectively in low oxygen conditions, which is why it can be commonly found in the earth’s soil. When Clostridium Botulinum grows they form spores, this act of homeostasis allows them to survive in a dormant state until they are transported to a more suitable condition for supporting the life of their species. The paralytic illness caused by the Clostridium Botulinum bacteria is called Botulism. [pic] Out of the 7 total types of Botulism, only 4 of them can cause an illness in humans. These types are type A, B, E, and sometimes F. Types C, D, and G can cause illness in another animals but especially birds because they hunt and feed close to the ground where the bacteria flourishes. A common way for humans to contract the illness is through canning their own vegetables. Trapping the bacteria in containers maintains the low-oxygen environment they need to stay alive, increasing the chance of them being ingested by any unfortunate human they are served to. Thanksgiving dinner is filled with vegetables, and if all of those vegetables were canned by Sarah’s grandmother that makes everyone eating at a huge risk of contracting the Botulism virus. For this reason combined with all of Sarah’s symptoms it is obvious that...
Words: 1434 - Pages: 6
