C. difficile Infection An Urgent Threat 2.0 update

Posted on by microbiomestg

C. Diff Infection:

An Urgent Public Health Threat

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  1. Importance of Microbial Diversity
  2. Dysbiosis and C. Diff Infection
  3. C. Diff Infection: An Urgent Public Health Threat
  4. Recurrent C. Diff Infection Burden
  5. Standard of Care as a Risk Factor
  6. Limitations of Current Therapeutic Options

A major and urgent threat, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), C. difficile infection is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections in US hospitals, affecting approximately half a million people annually.1,2

Significant complications
associated with C. difficile infection

Sepsis

SEPSIS

27%3,a

aFirst recurrence.

Colectomy

Colectomy

7%3,a

aFirst recurrence.

Heart failure

Heart Failure

43%4

Subsequent recurrence

Subsequent Recurrence

up to60%5

Anxiety

Anxiety

13.9%6

PTSD

Ptsd

0.3%6

Depression

Depression

15.3%6

Mortality

Mortality associated with C. difficile infection:

30-day mortality rate of C. difficile infection ranges from 5% to 14% after an initial episode.2,7

A study of Medicare patients with community-acquired C. difficile infection documented a 9% mortality rate during inpatient stay.8

In a recent CDC reseach letter, patients (N=9) with severe-acute-respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) and C. difficile infection had a 44% mortality rate.9

Unfortunately, C. difficile infection may be the beginning of a vicious cycle of recurrence.