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Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that can result in a severe form of antibiotic-associated diarrhea known as clostridium difficile infection or CDI. Cases can vary from mild diarrhea to severe colitis that at times can be fatal. There’s been a dramatic increase in the number as well as severity of CDIs in the U.S. over the past 20 years. Although CDI typically occurs following the use of antibiotics, it can also be spread from one individual to another, especially in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Antibiotics have been the traditional treatment for patients with CDI, however recurrent symptoms have been a problem. There’s now a new treatment for CDI, felt to be effective in over 90% of patients with the illness.

Our guest to discuss this topic is Dr. Maria Vazquez Roque, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic. We’ll review the common presenting symptoms, laboratory tests needed to establish a diagnosis, and the current recommendations for treatment including the latest of fecal transplantation. 

Additional resources: 
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults and Children: 2017 Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA): https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix1085 

Specific topics discussed: 
•    The typical presentation of C. difficile infection 
•    Patients who are at increased risk for a C. difficile infection 
•    Laboratory tests to order to confirm a case of C. difficile infection 
•    Treatment options for C. difficile infection including fecal transplantation 
•    Potential benefit of probiotics for preventing a C. difficile infection