Skip to main content
Minnesota Department of Health logo
  • Main navigation

    • Home
    • Data, Statistics, and Legislation
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Health Care Facilities, Providers, and Insurance
    • Healthy Communities, Environment, and Workplaces
    • Individual and Family Health
    • About Us
    • News and Announcements
    • Translated Materials

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Data, Statistics, and Legislation
  • Diseases and Conditions
  • Health Care Facilities, Providers, and Insurance
  • Healthy Communities, Environment, and Workplaces
  • Individual and Family Health
  • About Us
  • News and Announcements
  • Translated Materials
MDH Logo

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Diseases and Conditions
  3. C. difficile (Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium difficile)
  4. Health Professional Information on Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile
Topic Menu

Health Professionals C. diff Information

  • C. diff Health Professionals Home
  • Clinical Information
  • Testing and Treatment
  • Disease Reporting
  • Infection Prevention
  • Changing Epidemiology
  • Guidelines and Resources

Related Topics

  • C. difficile Home
  • Infection Prevention & Control
  • Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • Hand Hygiene

Health Professionals C. diff Information

  • C. diff Health Professionals Home
  • Clinical Information
  • Testing and Treatment
  • Disease Reporting
  • Infection Prevention
  • Changing Epidemiology
  • Guidelines and Resources

Related Topics

  • C. difficile Home
  • Infection Prevention & Control
  • Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • Hand Hygiene
Contact Info
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Contact Info

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Clostridioides difficile Clinical Information

Risk Factors for CDI

  • Advanced age (>65 years)
  • Recent antimicrobial exposure (within previous 3 months)
    • All antibiotics increase the risk of CDI; clindamycin, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and cephalosporins are most often associated with CDI
    • Even brief antibiotic exposure may result in CDI, though prolonged exposure or use of more than one antibiotic may further increase risk
  • Recent hospitalization or long-term care facility admission (within previous 3 months)
  • Other potential contributing factors
    • Serious underlying illness; immunocompromising conditions
    • Use of proton-pump inhibitors (causing alteration in stomach acidity)

Signs and Symptoms

  • Watery liquid diarrhea 3-15 episodes per day is the most common symptom
  • Other symptoms for mild-moderate disease include:
    • Fever
    • Loss of appetite
    • Nausea
    • Abdominal pain/tenderness
  • Complications of severe disease
    • Pseudomembranous colitis
    • Toxic megacolon
    • Colon perforation
    • Ileus
    • Death (rare)

Transmission

  • Transmission of C. difficile occurs through the fecal-oral route
  • C. difficile spores can be transmitted to patients via the hands of health care personnel who have touched a contaminated surface or item
  • Any environmental surface can transmit C. difficile spores which are highly resistant to cleaning and disinfection measures.
    • C. difficile is a fastidious anaerobe that dies rapidly in its vegetative state
    • C. difficile spores can remain in the environment for days to months and are highly resistant to cleaning and disinfection measures

Diagnosis

  • CDI should be considered in any patient with watery diarrhea or abdominal pain following:
    • antibiotic exposure within previous 3 months
      and/or
    • exposure to a health care setting within the past 3 months
  • Due to the changing epidemiology of C. difficile, consider CDI in patient with diarrhea lasting longer than 3 days with fever and/or abdominal pain in the absence of recent antibiotic use or health care exposure.
  • C. difficile may also be diagnosed through the endoscopic identification of pseudomembranes.
Tags
  • cdiff
Last Updated: 10/26/2022

Get email updates


Minnesota Department of Health logo

Privacy Policy
Equal Opportunity
Translated Materials
Feedback Form
About MDH
Minnesota.gov
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of health print search share facebook instagram linkedin twitter youtube