Clostridium difficile (C.Diff) infection

Patient Information Leaflet

What is Clostridium difficile (C. diff)?

• Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a type of bacteria that can cause diarrhoea.
• It often affects people who have been taking antibiotics.
• It can usually be treated with a different type of antibiotic.

How do you know if you have a C. diff infection?

• Common symptoms of a C. diff infection include:

  • diarrhoea
  • a high temperature
  • loss of appetite
  • feeling sick
  • a stomach-ache

How you get a C. diff infection?

• The C. diff bacteria usually lives harmlessly in your bowel along with lots of other types of bacteria.
• Sometimes when you take antibiotics, the balance of bacteria in your bowel can change, causing an infection.
• When someone has a C. diff infection, it can spread to other people very easily if the bacteria found in the person's poo gets onto objects and surfaces.

Who is at risk?

• You're more likely to get a C. diff infection if:

  • you are over 65 years
  • you are taking, or have recently taken, antibiotics
  • you are staying in hospital or a care home for a long time
  • you have a weakened immune system - for example, from having a long-term condition like diabetes or kidney failure, or treatment like chemotherapy
  • you are taking a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), such as omeprazole, or other medicines that reduce stomach acid
  • you have had a C. diff infection in the past.

How to prevent spreading a C. diff infection

• The C. diff infections can spread very easily.
• There are some things you can do to reduce the risk of passing it on to others.

Do

• stay at home until at least 48 hours after your diarrhoea stops
• wash your hands regularly using soap and water
• clean the toilet and area around it with disinfectant after each use
• wash clothes and sheets with poo on separately from other washing at the highest possible temperature.

Don't

• do not share towels and flannels
• do not take medicine to stop diarrhoea like loperamide because it can prevent the infection being cleared from your body.

It's important to get medical advice if you:

• have diarrhoea and you are taking, or have recently taken, antibiotics
• you have bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from the bottom
• you have diarrhoea for more than 7 days.
• you can call 111 or get help from 111 online: https://111.nhs.uk/

Any further questions?

• If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Infection Control team, on 020 7288 3679, or you can ask the department manager to contact us.
• Additional information can be found on:
  • NHS Health A to Z https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/c-difficile/
  • NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk/

The information in this leaflet has been sourced from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/c-dificile/