SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers at the University of Utah say they’ve learned that one of the most common health-care-acquired infections, Clostridioides difficile or C. diff, spreads three times more than was originally thought.
Right now, hospitals and care centers report about 225,000 cases of C. diff each year. It’s a germ that can cause diarrhea and colitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also reports that C. diff can be life-threatening.
In many instances, cases of C. diff occur after a person has taken a course of antibiotics. According to researchers, the infection is lethal in about 6% of cases in the U.S.
Why does C. diff spread so quickly?
Lindsay Keegan is a research associate professor in epidemiology at the University. She said their study examined different areas of a hospital and found that it spreads quickly in places like intensive care units…