Asymptomatic Clostridium Difficile Carriers: Transmission of an Infectious Pathogen

By Rosie D. Lyles, MD, MHA, MSc; Head of Clinical Affairs, Clorox Healthcare

May 22, 2017 | Formats: White Paper | Content Areas: Environmental Sanitation Operations | Tags: Disaster/Outbreak Preparedness, Environmental Hygiene and Sanitation, Infection Prevention and Epidemiology

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe C. difficile as a pathogen of significant public health interest which warrants urgent attention, with an estimated 453,000 C. difficile infection (CDI) cases in the US on an annual basis. Currently, preventative measures for CDI include control bundles focused on infection control measures surrounding symptomatic patients. Despite these measures, C. difficile associated disease still remains a problem. Antibiotic stewardship is now at the forefront of CDI prevention efforts because of the growing national focus on proper antibiotic use to avoid unnecessary consequences of hospitalization due to inappropriate or excessive antibiotic therapy.

This paper takes a close look at asymptomatic C. difficile carriers and provides recommendations for effective infection control.