Clostridium difficile" redirects here. For the bacterium, see Clostridium difficile (bacteria).
Clostridium difficile colitis
Clostridium difficile 01.png
C. difficile colonies on a blood agar plate
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 A04.7
ICD-9 008.45
MedlinePlus 000259
eMedicine med/1942
MeSH D004761
Clostridium difficile colitis (etymology and pronunciation) or pseudomembranous colitis is colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) resulting from infection with Clostridium difficile, a type of spore-forming bacteria.[1] It causes an infectious diarrhea called C. difficile diarrhea. Latent symptoms of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) often mimic some flu-like symptoms and may mimic disease flare-ups in people with inflammatory bowel disease–associated colitis.[2] C. difficile releases toxins that may cause bloating and diarrhea, with abdominal pain, which may become severe.
The colitis is thought to occur when this bacteria replaces normal gut flora that has been compromised, usually following antibiotic treatment for an unrelated infection. The disturbance of normal healthy bacteria may provide C. difficile an opportunity to overrun the intestinal microbiome.[3] It is a type of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Often, mild cases of CDI may be treated by discontinuing the offending antibiotics. More serious cases require targeted antibiotic treatment. Relapses of CDI have been reported in up to 20% of cases.[4] C. difficile infection is a growing problem in health care facilities, killing approximately 29,000 people in the United States in 2011.[5]