A new study led and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that in 2011, Clostridium difficile was responsible for almost half a million infections and more than 15,000 deaths in the US.

Share on Pinterest Around 453,000 individuals were infected with C. diff in 2011, and around 15,000 deaths were directly attributable to the infection.

Image credit: CDC



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the findings, which are published in The New England Journal of Medicine, emphasize how improvements in antibiotic use and infection control in health care settings are critical for tackling C. diff infection.

C. diff is a bacterium that causes colitis – inflammation of the colon. Infection can occur through touching surfaces or items that are contaminated with feces, in which C. diff is shed.

Symptoms of C. diff infection include fever, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and abdominal pain.

People who are taking antibiotics for other illnesses are most prone to C. diff infection. Antibiotics can destroy some of the friendly bacteria in the gut, meaning it may be less protected against C. diff.

According to the CDC, more than half of patients who stay in hospital are treated with antibiotics, which is why health care settings have been identified as the primary source of transmission.

What is more, past research has shown around 30-50% of antibiotics prescribed in hospitals are not needed or incorrect, meaning many patients are being unnecessarily put at risk of C. diff infection and are putting others at risk by carrying the infection to other settings, such as nursing homes.

The aim of this latest study was to assess the burden of C. diff across the US.

Lead author Dr. Fernanda C. Lessa, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, and his team set out to identify cases of C. diff infection over 10 geographic areas in the US in 2011.

Based on their findings, the team estimates that in 2011, around 453,000 people were infected with C. diff, and around 29,300 deaths occurred within 30 days of diagnosis. Of these deaths, around 15,000 were estimated to be directly attributable to C. diff.

The study found that individuals aged 65 and older are particularly vulnerable to C. diff infection. Around 1 in 3 cases occurred among patients in this age group, and they also accounted for 2 in 3 health care-associated C. diff infections. What is more, around 80% of C. diff-attributable deaths occurred in patients aged 65 or older.

The researchers also identified an increased risk of C. diff infection among women and Caucasian individuals.