Microorganisms are all round us. Everyday at any given minute our bodies contain flora or normal microbiota. Which as described in the textbook Microbiology An Introduction as, “Some normal microbiota protect us against disease by preventing the overgrowth of harmful microbes, and others produce useful substances such as vitamin K and some B vitamins. Unfortunately, under some circumstances normal microbiota can make us sick or infect people we contact. For instance, when some microbiota leave their habitat, they can cause disease. ” (Tortora, Funke, and Case 17) In my experience of working in a hospital on the medical-surgical floor, I have become very familiar with the opportunist infection formally know as Clostridium Diffcile and informally known as C. diff. C. Diff is an infection that affects the colon and causes the patient to have irretractable diarrhea and can even cause inflammation of the colon that can sometimes be lethal. C. diff is very common in the elderly and patients on multiple antibiotics which causes the natural bacteria in the colon to be irradiated allowing opportunistic bacteria to invade. The New York Times reported that “Two factors typically lead to the infection: taking antibiotics, which make the intestine vulnerable, followed by exposure to the bacteria or their spores in a hospital, clinic or nursing home that has not been properly disinfected. Spores can survive for weeks or maybe even months outside the body, and it takes bleach or other strong disinfectants to kill them. Many people recover once they stop taking antibiotics, but some become severely ill and require treatment with different antibiotics to get rid of C. difficile. Even then, 20 percent relapse, and some suffer intestinal damage that can be fatal or can require surgery to remove part of the intestine.” (Grady) C. diff is really difficult to treat because the bacteria is resistant to many antibiotics. The New York times also described an unconventional treatment, which is not commonly performed called a fecal transplant, “In recent years, some people have received fecal transplants, in which stool from a healthy person is placed into the patient’s intestine. The idea is to restore the normal balance of bacteria in the gut, which may include 25,000 to 30,000 different species. There is simply no better way to replace them. Awful as they may sound, the transplants can cure cases that were otherwise intractable.” (Grady) The premise of this treatment is to reintroduce good bacteria into the colon thus disallowing the C. Diff to replicate and take over. Hospital and physicians are taking extra steps in preventing the high incidents of C. Diff by prescribing scheduled probiotics, especially if they are taking antibiotics. A study conducted by Annal of Internal Medicine and featured in the NY Times researched the effectiveness of probiotics preventing the incidence of C diff. The study was used data from 20 randomized and controlled trials that compared a course of probiotics with a placebo. The study also used different types of probiotics with varying doses. The researchers were able to deduce from trails that compared to the subjects using the actual probiotics compared the placebo had a lower incident in diarrhea. The researchers ultimately found in their studies that probiotics reduced the risk of C. diff associated diarrhea by 66 percent. (Bakalar)

It is important to remember that your colon contains nature flora and when that flora is depleted by antibiotics it can put you at risk for opportunist infections such as C. diff and measures such be taken to reintroduce new bacteria in the colon and that can be done simply by taking a probiotic. With preventive medicine on the for front of healthcare it is important to remember some of taking steps to inhibit diseases like C. diff with simple measures like proper sanitization and most importantly washing your hands.

Works Cited

Bakalar, Nicholas. "Probiotics Linked to Lowered Diarrhea Risk." Well Probiotics Linked to Lowered Diarrhea Risk Comments. New York Times, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.

Grady, Denise. "Gut Infections Are Growing More Lethal." Www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 19 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.

Tortora, Gerard J., Berdell R. Funke, and Christine L. Case. Microbiology: An Introduction. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2012. 16-17. Print.