...Clostridium difficile, also known as "CDF/cdf", or "C. diff", is a species of Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium that causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal disease when competing bacteria in the gut flora have been wiped out by antibiotics. Clostridia are anaerobic, spore-forming rods. C. difficile is the most serious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis, a severe inflammation of the colon, often resulting from eradication of the normal gut flora by antibiotics. In a very small percentage of the adult population, C. difficile bacteria naturally reside in the gut. Other people accidentally ingest spores of the bacteria while they are patients in a hospital, nursing home, or similar facility. When the bacteria are in a colon in which the normal gut flora has been destroyed (usually after a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as clindamycin has been used), the gut becomes overrun with C. difficile. This overpopulation is harmful because the bacteria release toxins that can cause bloating and diarrhea, with abdominal pain, which may become severe. C. difficile infections are the most common cause of pseudomembranous colitis, and in rare cases this can progress to toxic megacolon, which can be life-threatening. Latent symptoms of C. difficile infection often mimic some flu-like symptoms and can mimic disease flare in patients with inflammatory bowel disease-associated colitis.[4] Mild cases of C. difficile...
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...Microbiology and Infection Control Adrian Loadholt 1/15/2015 Dr. Momeny The article I read was entitled ‘putting it into practice: Infection control professionals’ perspective on early career nursing graduates’ microbiology and infection control knowledge and practice. Healthcare associated infections are most common but preventable infections in hospital patients. Control and prevention of healthcare-associated infections is a major focus and challenge for healthcare institutions worldwide. The article was related to a study conducted in Australia. The study included all females, who qualified as registered nurses and had spent at least 5 years working as a registered nurse before commencing their current infection control practitioner role. Half of the nurses were aged 35–59 years and had completed their undergraduate training in the university setting, while the other half were hospital-trained nurses aged 40 years or older. All but one participant had taken training in infection control. All participants indicated that many new graduates had deficits in their infection control and associated microbiology knowledge, with some describing graduates’ level of infection control knowledge as ‘very poor’ or ‘basic’. One of the participants thought that the new graduates’ would lose knowledge after a period of time in the workplace. The participants agreed that increasing the amount of microbiology in the curriculum would improve graduates’ understanding and implementation...
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...Overview of Quantitative vs. Qualitative Articles Using two research studies selected from the list of articles provided. I choose A Bundle Strategy Including Patient Hand Hygiene to Decrease Clostridium difficile Infections (2014) and Impact of a Smoking Cessation Educational Program on Nurses' Interventions (2014). The purpose of this paper is to do an overview of both a quantitative and qualitative article. Review each selected article on learning about study design, by identifying information from each component of the study. Then evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each study. Overview of Quantitative Article Research Question According to the article, A Bundle Strategy Including Patient Hand Hygiene to Decrease Clostridium difficile Infections (2014), the research question is, does patient hand hygiene included in the bundle strategy help decrease Clostridium difficile infections? According to information found in Chapter 3 (Adams, 2012), using the abstract of problem-solving, nursing process and research process, the information found in this study was impertinent to the outcome. Determining that hand washing does help decrease c-diff infections. Study Design The article, A Bundle Strategy Including Patient Hand Hygiene to Decrease Clostridium difficile Infections (2014), is a quantitative study, and non-experimental design gathers the information. Non-experimental design as defined in Chapter 6 (Adams, 2012) of the Schmidt and Brown (2012) textbook...
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...explain relationships and causality whereas qualitative research design gives meaning to events of phenomenon’s (p.72). The purpose of this paper is to identify and interpret research questions, study designs, sample sizes and representativeness, the strengths and weakness of the designs, as well as results of data analysis of both quantitive and qualitative research designs. Overview of Quantitive Design Using the Research Study “A Bundle Strategy Including Patient Hand Hygiene to Decrease Clostridium difficile Infections.” Research Question The basis of a research question is to pose an interrogatory question that describes the variables and population of the research study (Schmidt & Brown, 2012, p. 72). In the article “A Bundle Strategy Including Patient Hand Hygiene to Decrease Clostridium difficile Infections.”, (Pokrywka et al., 2014), Pokrywka et al. (2014) present the research question; will the effect of an expanded bundle strategy, to include patient hand hygiene, make an impact on the rate of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) of hospitalized patients? This question can be stemmed from the main research problem that the prevalence of C. difficile in hospitalized patients causes increased hospital costs, mortality and length of stay (Pokrywka et al., 2014, p. 145). In...
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...Editorial Analysis In her article "Hospital Scrubs Are a Germy, Deadly Mess," Betsy McCaughey warns that unclean hospital uniforms endanger not only patients, but can also endanger the general public. McCaughey notes that this is because medical personnel can be seen wearing their scrubs while they shop, eat, are on public transportation, and will even wear them at home. McCaughey is certain that many people do not realize how many germs are contained on the average doctors/nurses uniform and explains that “superbugs” could possibly transport into public places such as restaurants and public transit. The infection called “Clostridium difficile” (C. diff) is a good example of such a “bug.” McCaughey, who is chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, builds her case by citing reliable sources and studies. For example, she indicates that the National Hospital Survey released in November warns that “C. Diff” infections are spreading rapidly and that “nearly half a million people a year in the U.S.” have become infected. McCaughey also gives statistics from the University of Maryland that 65% of professionals confessed that they wash their uniform less than one time per week and the other 15% change their uniform less than once a month. McCaughey demonstrates ethos throughout her article by constantly giving the reader factual information on clostridium difficile. McCaughey points out that C. diff is difficult to contain within a hospital environment and states...
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...Xantham gum Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheologymodifier,[2] commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) and a stabilizer (in cosmetic products, for example, to prevent ingredients from separating). It is produced by the fermentation of glucose, sucrose, or lactose by the Xanthomonas campestrisbacterium. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Later, it is added to a liquid medium to form the gum.[3] It was discovered by an extensive research effort by Allene Rosalind Jeanes and her research team at the United States Department of Agriculture anthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris One of the most remarkable properties of xanthan gum is its ability to produce a large increase in the viscosity of a liquid by adding a very small quantity of gum, on the order of one percent. In most foods, it is used at 0.5%, and can be used in lower concentrations. The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases with higher shear rates; this is called shear thinning or pseudoplasticity. This means that a product subjected to shear, whether from mixing, shaking or even chewing, will thin out, but once the shear forces are removed, the food will thicken back up. A practical use would be in salad...
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...A. R. K Baker ENG 102 4 May 2012 Microorganisms at Work This topic is about how microorganisms continue to live in hospital rooms even after the rooms have been cleaned. The organisms that concern me are the multi resistant ones. It starts with a patient who is in isolation because of one of these bacteria’s and then discharged from the hospital after they are well. If these organisms are on the bedside table or the handrails the patient is already cured so it will not affect them. What about the patient coming in the room next? It is left to the housekeepers to clean the room well enough to prevent the spread of these infections. These infections that are spread from one patient to another are called nosocomial infections. They are hospital acquired bacteria’s. I came to this topic after my daughter had this exact thing happen to her. She is a brittle diabetic and at one point required a lot of hospital visits. After one of these visits she started to develop a boil. This in turn caused her blood sugar to go up and we ended up back in the hospital. Thinking the boil was a spider bite we were surprised to find out it was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). They explained that it was a nosocomial infection that was probably acquired on our last hospital visit. When asked how she got it they said it was multi resistant and was passed from something she came in contact with that another patient would have touched. This is a problem that has been on the...
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...Clostridium Difficlie Amy Roger Margaret Mcgannon Learning about Clostridium difficile Clostridium difficile also known a C. difficile or C. diff is an inflammatory infection created in the intestine primarily caused by taking antibiotics. Most people don’t show symptoms of having the C. diff bacteria in your intestines until that person has taken a course of antibiotics. Clostridium difficile bacteria can be found anywhere in the environment. It is found is soil, water, human and animal feces, food products and processed meats (Mayo clinic staff, 2013). Treatments to cure C. diff include antibiotics and surgery. Once having C. diff you want to make sure that you can prevent from getting it again. The best way to prevent from getting C. diff for the first time or a recurring time is to simply wash your hands, avoid unsanitary environments, disinfect surfaces that could possibly be infected, and try to avoid antibiotics when possible (Mayo clinic staff, 2013). Every person has bacteria already in their intestines that help to fight off illness and other bad bacteria that are introduced into the body. When a person takes antibiotics it not only kills that bad bacteria but also kills the good bacteria as well. If a person has Clostridium difficile bacteria in their system it allows the bacteria to grow and causes inflammation in the intestines. Once someone has the Clostridium difficile bacteria in their body and taking antibiotics it allows them to grow out of control causing...
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...There are several people who use antibiotics for the wrong reasons. Some people think that using antibiotics will get rid of a cold or the flu virus faster or clear up a skin condition. Antibiotics should only be consumed for the infectious illness in which they were suggested for. Antibiotics are abused world-wide, and abuse of the medication can do more harm than help. I chose to research antibiotic abuse and the underlying issues with antibiotics. Antibiotics are being abused in so many ways by people and industries everywhere. The focus will be on agricultural abuse of antibiotics, human abuse, and antibiotic resistance. I will conduct various phone or face to face interviews with individuals as well as provide a questionnaire survey to obtain the information needed for this particular project. What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are “A medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms”, (What You Should Know about Antibiotics, 2012, p. 3). Antibiotics are used to treat various infections within the body cavity. They help ward off unwanted illnesses. There are various types of antibiotics each one has a significant role in fighting bacteria or fungal infections. “How do antibiotics work? When properly prescribed for a bacterial illness, antibiotics join forces with your body’s own defenses and literally wage war against invading bacteria. Some antibiotics dissolve the protective cell wall of an organism, rupturing and...
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...Clostridium Difficlie (C diff) Clostridium Difficlie, also known as C diff, is a bacterium infection that has symptoms of diarrhea but can also have life threatening inflammation of the colon (staff, 2012). C. diff most commonly affects older adults primarily those that are hospitalized or in a long term care setting (staff, 2012). “An epidemic of Clostridium difficle in the United States is now killing some 12,000 patients annually, in part because neither alcohol rubs nor soap and water used in the vast majority of hospitals can effectively remove the spore-forming bacillus from the hands of health care workers, researchers are finding” (Hand hygiene woes impact C.diff response, 2010,pg 76).Let’s explore Clostridium difficle a little, how it is transmitted, the environmental factors, standard treatments and ways to help prevent the spread of Clostridium Difficlie. Clostridium Difficlie bacteria are passed in feces and thru food, they are also on surfaces or objects where people fail to wash their hands when they are infected. These bacteria spores can last in a room for weeks or even months so if you touch an infected surface you can unknowingly ingest the bacteria (staff, 2012). Normally healthy people don’t get sick from the bacteria because your body contains many types of bacteria that will fight off the infection. However, many people get C. diff following a treatment with antibiotics. “The antibiotics that most often lead to C. difficle infections include fluoroquinolones...
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...Running head: CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE Clostridium difficile Jane Doe A University Clostridium difficile Pathophysiology Clostridium difficile is a gram positive, spore forming anaerobic bacillus, which may or may not carry the genes for toxin A-B production (Nipa, 2010). These two types of protein exotoxins produced by the Clostridium difficile bacillus, toxin A and toxin B, can have an infectious form and a non-active, non-infectious form (Grossman, 2010). The infectious form can survive for a short duration of time in the environment. The spores can survive for a longer period of time in the environment and are not infectious unless and until they are ingested or are transformed into an infectious state (Nipa, 2010). Together, the two toxins cause a large number of inflammatory mediators to descend on the colon, triggering more colitis and colonic ulcerations. Purulent debris then results, contributing to the development of a pseudomembrane. With the activation of the inflammatory response, the released mediators cause fluid secretion and increased permeability at the mucosal membrane and predispose the patient to diarrhea as well as drastic electrolyte and fluid shifts (Grossman, 2010). Signs and Symptoms Symptoms caused by infection with Clostridium difficile range from mild diarrhea to profuse, watery diarrhea accompanied by severe inflammation of the intestine (Gould, 2010). Patient may complain of foul smelling diarrhea (Grossman, 2010). Symptoms may also...
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...Clostridium difficile (klos-TRID-e-um dif-uh-SEEL), often called C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long-term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications. However, studies show increasing rates of C. difficile infection among people traditionally not considered high risk, such as younger and healthy individuals without a history of antibiotic use or exposure to health care facilities. Each year, more than a half million people get sick from C. difficile, and in recent years, C. difficile infections have become more frequent, severe and difficult to treat. Some people carry the bacterium C. difficile in their intestines but never become sick, though they can still spread the infection. C. difficile illness usually develops during or within a few months after a course of antibiotics. Clostridium difficile is shed in feces. Any surface, device, or material (e.g., toilets, bathing tubs, and electronic rectal thermometers) that becomes contaminated with feces may serve as a reservoir for the Clostridium difficile spores. Clostridium difficile spores are transferred to patients mainly via the hands of healthcare personnel who have touched a contaminated surface or item. Clostridium difficile can live for long periods on surfaces.Whenever possible, other antibiotics should...
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...types but most varieties a less harmful to human health. Research by medical professionals has shown that E. coli bacteria live in the intestines, for both people and animals. Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting (Bennett, Jarvis & Brachman, 2007). E. coli emanates from taking contaminated food and water. E. coli may lead to death or permanent health problems if appropriate measures are taken on time. Nosocomial diseases can be termed as an infection that a person gets while being attend to in a health institution. The goal for this task is to explore the nosocomial infections, intervention strategies and recommendations on how to control and manage the various types of nosocomial infections. Analysis of Good Health Hospital records Records of Good Health Hospital show that a number of nosocomial diseases have been reported. Among the commonest nosocomial infections at Good Health Hospital includes, surgical site infection, pneumonia infection, and unitary tract infection among others. It is crustal for medical professionals and other people involved in providing health care to understand the different types of nosocomial infections and how to prevent them. The period between 2009 and 2011 recorded about 10,000 cases of skin and...
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...1. Clostridium difficile (C. dif) a. What is Clostridium difficile? Clostridium difficile is a gram positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium. C. difficile bacteria naturally reside in the body and this bacteria is capable of forming spores. b. What are the symptoms of C. difficile disease? Symptoms of C. difficile disease include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain/tenderness. With the elderly population being more susceptible to complications of dehydration, this disease is of great concern for them. c. How is C. difficle disease transmitted? C. difficile is transmitted through contact. Infection can occur if surfaces become contaminated with feces and an individual touches that surface and introduces the bacteria into their mouth or mucous membranes. This is important to remember when using commodes, bath tubs, and rectal thermometers. All of these things can be reservoirs for C. difficile spores. d. How can one prevent the spread of C. difficile infection? Preventing the spread of C. difficile can be accomplished by being diligent with hand washing and by cleaning surfaces regularly with disinfectants. Hypochlorite based disinfectants have shown the most success in hospital cleansing routines. Hospitals must take special precautions when cleaning a room after a patient with C. difficile has occupied it. Patients with C. difficile will usually be on isolation precautions in a private room or be...
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...These precautions require healthcare professionals (physicians, nurse practitioners & physician assistants) entering the room to wear gloves and a gown. Upon exiting, healthcare professionals remove the gown and gloves and perform hand hygiene. Infections such as rotavirus, Clostridium difficile or a type of rash warrants contact precautions. An observational study done on Multidrug- Resistant Organisms (MDRO) showed the adherence rates for entrances and exits on complying with contact precautions. The study looked at three hospitals in New York City. The adherence rate for entrance by healthcare professionals was 19.4% and the rate for exit was 48.4% (Clock, Cohen, Behta, Ross, & Larson, 2010). Contact precautions are meant to decrease the risk of transmitting infections. The article showed how the problem is not the provision of gowns or gloves, but rather the adherence by healthcare professionals. To further support this evidence, a study of 199 interactions between healthcare professionals in an ICU with MDRO precautions...
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