Medical News On 'Clostridium difficile' - What?

More than two million people in the U.S. develop infections every year that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of them die as a result, according to a CDC report that called for aggressive steps to counter worsening public health problems.

The Center for Disease Control, CDC, released a blistering report on September 16, 2013. It bluntly stated, "Up to half of antibiotic use in humans and much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary and inappropriate and makes everyone less safe." Bacteria evolve quickly to evade antibiotics meant to kill them, so greater use of antibiotics will lead to more drug-resistant germs. "Giving antibiotics to food-producing animals to promote their growth should be 'phased out'," it said too.

The CDC ranked 18 drug-resistant bacteria and fungi by threat level. Three are ranked 'urgent,' meaning they have few treatment options and the potential is widespread. The clostridium difficile or 'C. difficile', a life-threatening infection that occurs mostly in patients who have recently been given antibiotics and undergone medical care. The number of deaths has risen more than five times between 2000 and 2007.

Many hospitals have 'antibiotic stewardship' programs that oversee how drugs are prescribed.  But more needs to be done, according to Edward Septimus, a professor of internal medicine of Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's antimicrobial resistance committee.

News Update - October 17, 2013 - 'Clostridium difficile'

A potential new victory in the war against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" lies in the discovery of specific viruses that eat bacteria - called bacteriophages. Researchers in the UK have isolated certain phages, which have been shown to target the infectious hospital bug Clostridium difficile.