C. diff in the news again

Our second JMLA case discussed Clostridium difficile infection, and this type of healthcare-acquired infection continues to gain notoriety, now being billed by some as "the new MRSA" -- see this brief item in the WSJ Health blog and this longer piece in the Wall Street Journal itself.

C. diff news from the UK

From today's BBC News - Dramatic rise in C. diff deaths

The number of deaths linked to hospital bug Clostridium difficile has soared in England and Wales, figures from the Office for National Statistics show.

Between 2005 and 2006 the number of death certificates which mentioned the infection rose by 72% to 6,480, most of which were elderly people.

In over half of cases, it was listed as the underlying cause of death.

It is thought that some of the increase may be due to more complete reporting on death certificates.

During the same time period, deaths due to MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) remained fairly steady.

Brian Duerden, chief microbiologist at the Department of Health, notes that the NHS has launched a number of efforts to reduce nosocomial infections since 2006, including clinician education about hand-washing, a bare-below-the-elbows dress code, and other hygiene and monitoring provisions.

Keeping up with C. diff

The BioMed Central journal Critical Care this month includes a review and a commentary piece discussing developments in our understanding of Clostridium difficile and associated colitis.

Described as a good reference for clinicians faced with this issue, the authors Carolyn V Gould and L Clifford McDonald, from the Centers for Disease Control, detail the pathogenesis, diagnosis and possible treatment strategies in this most topical of hospital-acquired infections. The onus is on healthcare professionals to maintain awareness of the changing epidemiology of the disease, as well introducing measures to reduce the risk to patients.

More on C. difficile

Clostridium difficile was featured on the Adopt a Microbe blog a few days ago. The blog is written by an Australian medical student, Emma Lurie, and for each post she includes a cartoon drawing and few key facts about the microbe. A quick fun way to learn about the featured pathogen.