There are high rates of Clostridium difficile in hospitals and nursing homes, due to the contraction of spores off contaminated surfaces. The spores pass through the alimentary tract until they reach the colon where they form colonies. The colon contains many species of bacteria, and under normal conditions these bacteria co-exist and prevent any one bacteria becoming dominant and effecting colon function. However antibiotics can destroy the balance of bacteria in the colon, and therefore reduce the competition for harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile, which is unaffected by the antibiotic to become dominant.It is the toxins which the bacterium releases, which is responsible for causing the disease and symptoms. There are two main toxins, which enter the cells lining the colon by endocytosis which leads to disruption of the epithelial cells and causing damage to its structure and function.
There are many symptoms, such as intense inflammation of the colon due to the body's white blood cells secreting cytokines to fight infection. However the most common symptom is diarrhoea, this is because the colon is responsible for absorbing water and in doing so forming solid faeces, failure in the function will therefore lead to less water being absorbed, and it will be transported through the colon resulting in diarrhoea.
The main treatment against Clostridium difficile is antibiotics such as metronidazole and vancomycin. There is other types of treatment ranging from probiotics to faecal bacteriotherapy, however these are mainly at the clinical trials and not often used in practice.
References:
http://www.gslaundries.co.uk/bugs.htm
Biological Sciences Review- Volume 22, Number 3
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