Diarrhea bug is a regular in hospitals
ATLANTA - A sometimes deadly bacterium is at least six times more common than previously believed, researchers said yesterday, based on a survey of hundreds of US hospitals.
Clostridium difficile is resistant to some antibiotics and has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. Doctors say the bacteria play a role in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations each year, and that number has been growing.
The latest study estimates that more than 7,100 hospital patients are infected on any given day. That number is between 6.5 and 20 times greater than previous estimates, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Researchers from that group presented their findings yesterday at a medical conference in Orlando.
"This study shows that C. difficile infection is an escalating issue in our nation's healthcare facilities," said Dr. William Jarvis, the study's lead investigator, in a prepared statement. Jarvis, formerly a scientist with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a consulting epidemiologist hired by the association.
The study suggests that about 13 of every 1,000 hospital patients become infected with the bacteria. The bacteria are found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It can be deadly, particularly to the elderly, and has been blamed in outbreaks that have killed as many as 100 people at some hospitals.
The most dangerous form is spread by spores in feces, and the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.
The new numbers are based on surveys of about 650 US hospitals.
ASSOCIATED PRESS 