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U.S. Deaths From Gastro Infections Doubled Over 8 Years: CDC

Posted 14 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 14 – In recent years, deaths resulting from the common stomach and intestinal illness known as gastroenteritis have more than doubled in the United States, a new report reveals. Infections involving one of two germs in particular – C. difficile or norovirus – seem to be driving the trend. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that between 1999 and 2007 the total number of deaths resulting from the vomiting and diarrhea that characterizes the illness rose from about 7,000 to more than 17,000. "The message here is that clearly this is not just a problem in the developing world," noted study lead author Aron Hall, an Atlanta-based epidemiologist in the CDC's division of viral diseases. "Diarrhea is an important problem in the U.S., particularly among the elderly, and it seems to be worsening in recent years." According to the ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

Dangerous Bacteria Also Spreads Outside Hospitals: CDC

Posted 7 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 6 – The dangerous bacteria Clostridium difficile spreads not only in hospitals but also in other health-care settings, causing infections and death rates to hit "historic highs," U.S. health officials reported Tuesday. "C. difficile is a deadly diarrheal infection that poses a significant threat to U.S. health care patients," Ileana Arias, principal deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a morning news conference. "C. difficile is causing many Americans to suffer and die." The bacterium is linked to about 14,000 deaths in the United States every year. People most at risk from C. difficile are those who take antibiotics and also receive care in any medical facility. "This failure is more difficult to accept because these are treatable, often preventable deaths," Arias said. "We know what can be done to do a better job of ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

Meridian Says FDA Clears New Bacterial Test

Posted 28 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

Meridian says FDA clears new bacterial test [Associated Press] Published Date: December 27, 2011 02:18:00 PM EST CINCINNATI (AP) Meridian Biosciences Inc. said Tuesday that regulators cleared a new test for clostridium difficile, a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and colon inflammation. Meridian said its new ImmunoCard C. difficile GDH test detects a common antigen to the bacterium. Patients who test positive for the antigen can then be screened with a more sensitive test. Meridian also sells a C. difficile test called illumigene. Shares of Meridian Biosciences rose 8 cents to $18.99 in afternoon trading. Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

Common Hospital Infection Lengthens Patient Stays

Posted 5 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 5 – Hospitalized patients who are infected with Clostridium difficile – the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals – will lengthen their stay by about six days on average, a new study indicates. Experts say prevention is key to controlling the spread of the bacterial infection known as C. difficile. For the study, published Dec. 5 in the journal CMAJ, researchers analyzed information on nearly 137,000 hospital admissions in Ottawa over the course of seven years. Of those admissions, 1,393 patients became infected with C. difficile and spent 34 days in the hospital, compared with just eight day for those who did not have the infection. However, patients with C. difficile generally had more serious illnesses, which the researchers took into account. They then calculated that becoming infected with the bacteria actually lengthened hospital stays by an average ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

Hospital Rooms Crawling With Drug-Resistant Germs: Study

Posted 2 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 – Nearly half of 50 hospital rooms tested by researchers were colonized or infected with a multidrug-resistant bacteria, a new study says. University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) bacteria on multiple surfaces, including bedrails, supply carts and floors. This species of bacteria, which has caused infection outbreaks in health care facilities over the last decade, can survive on surfaces for long periods of time. MDR-AB infections mainly occur in patients who are very ill, wounded or have weakened immune systems. For the study, the researchers analyzed samples collected from 10 surfaces in each of 50 hospital rooms occupied by patients with a recent (less than two months prior to sampling) or remote (more than two months) history of MDR-AB. The surfaces selected for sampling included bedrails, bedside table, door ... Read more

Related support groups: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Clostridial Infection

'Fecal Transplants' Show Promise for Gastrointestinal Ills

Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – They sound disgusting, but doctors say "fecal transplants" – once shunned by the medical establishment – are proving useful against a range of gastrointestinal ailments, new research says. Presenting at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Washington, D.C., researchers report that the therapy can ease severe irritable bowel syndrome and nasty bacterial infections. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) involves taking feces from a donor, typically a spouse or relative though it could be anyone, after a light colonoscopy prep. That sample is then mixed "with some saline so that it's a consistency that can be aspirated into 60 cc syringes," explained Dr. Mark Mellow, one of the researchers presenting findings at the meeting. The patient then undergoes a routine colonoscopy during which the mixture is inserted. The idea is that this new, transplanted ... Read more

Related support groups: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Clostridial Infection

Health Care-Related Infections Declined in 2010: CDC

Posted 19 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 – Rates of four common health care-related infections declined in the United States in 2010, but more work is needed to eliminate all such types of infections, a federal government report says. The analysis of data submitted by hospitals to the U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network revealed a 33 percent overall reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections, with a 35 percent decline among critical care patients and a 26 percent decrease among non-critical care patients. A central line is a tube that's placed in a large vein of a patient's neck or chest to provide medical treatment. When a central line is not put in correctly or kept clean, it can become a pathway for germs to enter the body and cause serious bloodstream infections, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said. The investigators also found an 18 percent decline ... Read more

Related support groups: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Clostridial Infection

Dificid Approved to Treat C. diff Diarrhea

Posted 31 May 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 31 – Dificid (fidaxomicin) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile infection. The bacterial illness, commonly acquired by the elderly and others with weakened immune systems in hospitals and group settings, is abbreviated C. diff. It is easily passed from person to person by touching contaminated surfaces, the FDA said in a news release. The infection frequently causes diarrhea, can lead to colitis and other intestinal conditions, and may cause death in severe cases, the agency said. In some people, the illness can recur. Dificid was evaluated in clinical studies involving 564 people with C. diff-associated diarrhea. More people who took Dificid were still symptom-free three weeks after stopping treatment than those who took a common antibiotic, vancomycin, the FDA said. Recommended dosage with ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

FDA Approves Dificid for Clostridium difficile Infection

Posted 27 May 2011 by Drugs.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Dificid (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and lead to colitis, other serious intestinal conditions, and death in severe cases. C. difficile bacteria are found in the stool of an infected person, and others can become infected if they touch items or surfaces contaminated with the bacteria or spores and then touch their mouths. The safety and efficacy of Dificid were demonstrated in two trials that included 564 patients with CDAD that compared Dificid with vancomycin, a common antibiotic used to treat CDAD. The clinical response was similar in the Dificid group compared with the vancomycin group in both studies. In some patients with CDAD, symptoms can return. In the Dificid trials, a greater number of ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection, Clostridium Difficile Colitis

FDA OKs Rapid Test to Spot Dangerous Intestinal Infection

Posted 11 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 8 – A test designed to rapidly detect the genetic fingerprint of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) bacterial infection has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. C. diff is an intestinal infection that's commonly acquired by the elderly, hospital patients, people at group living facilities or nursing homes, and by those taking an antibiotic for another infection. It's easily spread by touching contaminated surfaces. C. diff infection causes diarrhea and intestinal inflammation, and can lead to complications including colitis, the FDA said in a news release. The Cepheid Xpert C. difficile/Epi assay detects toxin gene sequences associated with the epidemic 027/NAP1/BI strain of the bacterium in a person's stool. However, the test should not be used to determine or monitor treatment, the agency warned. The best way to prevent infection is via thorough ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

New Antibiotic Helps Prevent Recurrence of Dangerous Gut Infection

Posted 2 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 2 – Late-stage clinical trials of a new antibiotic for the increasingly common intestinal infection Clostridium difficile, which is especially lethal to the elderly, suggest it prevents recurrence far better than currently used medications. Researchers tested the new drug, fidaxomicin, against vancomycin, a powerful drug often prescribed to C. difficile patients. These cases often involve virulent diarrhea and colon inflammation that proves fatal to an estimated 5,000 Americans each year, according to federal statistics. People over age 65, especially those in hospitals and nursing homes, are more vulnerable to the infection, which experts estimate strikes up to 3 million Americans annually, many of whom have taken broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat other illnesses. Among the 629 patients studied, fidaxomicin was associated with a 45 percent lower rate of recurrence ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

Antibiotics May Not Cause Diarrheal Bacteria

Posted 10 Oct 2008 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 10 – A new study questions the commonly held belief that intestinal Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections are always preceded by antibiotic use. Researchers with McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital found that slightly more than half of senior citizens who acquired C. difficile infections before hospitalization had not been on antibiotics in the 45 days before being admitted. The total dropped only slightly, to 46 percent, when the timeframe was extended to 90 days. C. difficile infections often cause diarrhea and sometimes more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. "These figures show that approximately 50 percent of community-acquired C. difficile infections are not related to antibiotic use," researcher Sandra Dial, who works in the cardiovascular and respiratory health groups in McGill's Research Institute, said in a news release issued ... Read more

Related support groups: Clostridial Infection

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penicillin, metronidazole, Flagyl, vancomycin, Acidophilus, Flagyl IV, Metro, Vancocin, Dificid, view more... Flora-Q, Vancocin HCl, Penicillin G Procaine, fidaxomicin, RisaQuad, Lyphocin, Truxcillin VK, Vancocin HCl Pulvules, A-Cillin, Flora-Q 2, PC Pen VK, Superdophilus, Novaflor, Bacid, Pen-Vee K, Metro IV, Protostat, Flagyl 375, Pfizerpen, Veetids, Metryl, Isoject Permapen, Beepen-VK, V-Cillin K, Ledercillin VK, lactobacillus acidophilus, Bicillin L-A, Pen-V