Gut superbug causing more illnesses, deaths

AP ^ | May 29, 2008 | Mike Stobbe

[goodnesswins]

ATLANTA - The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, .....The germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. The study found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000. The infection, Clostridium difficile, is found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It is spread by spores in feces. But the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.."The nature of this infection is changing. It's more severe," ...........

The Zilberberg study was based on a sample of more than 36 million annual discharges from non-governmental U.S. hospitals. .....The study did not try to determine if Clostridium difficile was the main cause of death in each case, Zilberberg said. But earlier research concluded the infection is the underlying cause of thousands of deaths annually, and the problem is getting worse.

"This is not a time for alarm, but more a time for educating health professionals to understand this particular pathogen," said Kathy Warye, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based association.

[goodnesswins]

Hmmmmm

[Andonius_99]

sounds like a pretty $hitty disease to get...

[Slings and Arrows]

[Grammy]

See response by 60Gunner here.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2022554/posts

[count-your-change]

All wisdom comes from K ST. Washington, D.C.

[swampdweller]

[shineon]

[swampdweller]

[aft_lizard]

Maybe that is what I had not too long ago. I thought I had giardia or some bacteria but when I finally decided to go see the Doc it upped and cleared on me after 10 days. It was the diet of dits though, lost 12 pounds and could barely eat anything except for bland foods and electrolyte drinks like gatorade and smart water.

[goodnesswins]

Good analysis by 60Gunner....

[StolarStorm]

I’ve got something like that right now. Not fun.

[aft_lizard]

The thing about what I had was that for the first 4-5 days of it anti-diarrheal medication didnt work at all or for just an hour or two, even pepto did little for the abdominal pain. I really should have saw a doc on it, but I know they would have prescribed me anti-biotics, some anti-diarrheal medication and sent me to the lab to get my stool checked out. By the time that would have been done I thought I would be cured.

[StolarStorm]

Mines finally starting to get a little better after 1.5 weeks, but its been rough.... but they still want to do a scope on me. UGH! The abnominal pain freaked me out. Having got the stool test back... so we are covering all bases... like a gastritis/colitis.

I guess you experienced severe weakness as well during all this? That's been the worst part. To get to work I have to drive an hour into a downtown area. That just wasn't possible this last week. And it sure was fun trying to explain why I'm out sick for a week with something the boss thinks immodium would just fix.

[vetvetdoug]

C. diff is causing diarrhea outbreaks in dog boarding facilities. We opened a brand new boarding facility and noted that dogs were developing diarrhea almost 48 hours after coming in...I sent off a C/S for pathogen analysis and found out it was C. diff...We now disinfect every cage and run with Vircom when a dog goes out. C. diff is almost impossible to get rid of in a facility. At least we ID’d the problem..there are a good many facilities that haven't a clue on what is going on.

[goodnesswins]

YIKES....that would be HARD to clean up.....and why our dog does not go to a “kennel”

[Spacemonkey1023]

Ay, yi yi, more mountains out of molehills. Aside from the fact that they got their facts wrong, colitis simply means inflammation, which can be caused by plenty of things. C. diff causes PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS colitis, which is as previously mentioned a really bad diarrhea. Everybody has this bug in their guts, it's normal. The one thing that the article got right was that yes, when an antibiotic disrupts the natural balance of bacteria in the body they can overgrow, but even if that happens, the diarrhea may not necessarily be C. diff. It's an incredibly well known complication and even second year medical students know what to look for. Fact is, it's usually our first thought with new onset diarrhea in a hospitalized patient. And treating it isn't some big mystery. Stop the antibiotic you were giving in the first place, then start Flagyl, and if that doesn't work, vancomycin. No secret techniques there. And of course it's going to be resistant to some antibiotics, they're not all designed to kill every bacteria, they don't work that way.

Frankly, I think the reason that the incidence has been increasing is the culture of CYA in medicine. Clinically, I can know that you'll be fine in a few days, but to be on the safe side and look like I'm doing something- and avoid a lawsuit- I prescribe an antibiotic. Won't do anything but you feel better, and whoops, now you have C. diff.

[60Gunner]

If you suspect that you may have it, you need to go to your primary care provider and submit a stool sample for culture, ova and parasites. THAT'S how Clostridium difficile (among other gut bugs) is diagnosed.

[60Gunner]

If you suspect that you may have it, you need to go to your primary care provider and submit a stool sample for culture, ova and parasites. THAT'S how Clostridium difficile (among other gut bugs) is diagnosed.