Diarrhoea-causing bacteria widely spreads undetected through ICUs

A recent study discovered that a prevalent hospital-borne infection has been widely spreading through hospitals.

According to JAMA Network Open, the bacterium Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff is rapidly spreading within intensive care units (ICU) more than three times as much as previously thought.

C. diff often passes between patients who aren’t in the hospital at the same time, researchers said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this notorious bacteria infects individuals whose gut has been eliminated by antibiotics.

The symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain and fever.

The bacteria is capable of surviving for a long time outside the body, in the form of spores with a protective coating that can resist powerful antibacterial agents.

Researchers stated C. diff infection is contagious and deadly in up to 6% of cases in the U.S.

To track the deadly infection in hospitals, researchers collected C. diff samples from 200 patients across two ICUs and gathered thousands of samples from hospital rooms, surfaces, and medical professional hands.

The study found C. diff exposure among 10% of ICU patients. The infection was 3.6 times greater on the medical professional’s hands and hospital surfaces.

Senior researcher Dr. Michael Rubin, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Utah, suggested using personal protective equipment, including gloves, and more.