Link: News Wales
Infection with C. difficile can cause a range of symptoms from relatively mild diarrhoea to a severe inflammation of the gut wall. Severe infections can sometimes be life threatening.
It is a bug which is present as part of the normal gut bacteria in up to three per cent of adults. It is usually kept in check by the other healthy bacteria in the gut. However the use of antibiotics disturbs the balance of bacteria in the gut and can allow C. difficile to multiply and cause diarrhoea.
The C. difficile bug can be spread by healthcare staff and others who come into contact with patients if handwashing routines are not adequate, and because the C. difficile bug can produce spores that survive well in the environment, the infection can be picked up by vulnerable patients from the hospital environment.
