{"id":18069,"date":"2018-11-25T12:01:26","date_gmt":"2018-11-25T12:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2018\/11\/25\/dangerous-infection-tied-to-hospitals-now-becoming-common-outside-them\/"},"modified":"2018-11-25T12:01:26","modified_gmt":"2018-11-25T12:01:26","slug":"dangerous-infection-tied-to-hospitals-now-becoming-common-outside-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/dangerous-infection-tied-to-hospitals-now-becoming-common-outside-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Dangerous Infection Tied To Hospitals Now Becoming Common Outside Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Clayton Dalton<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Infections <\/em>with Clostridium difficile<\/em> can crop up after a round of antibiotics.<\/p>\n

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BSIP\/UIG via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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BSIP\/UIG via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Named from the Greek kloster<\/em>, for spindle,<\/em> a class of bacteria known as Clostridia <\/em>abounds in nature. <\/p>\n

Staining deep violet under the microscope, they appear as slender rods with a bulge at one end, like a tadpole or maple seed. They thrive in soil, marine sediments and humans. They live on our skin and in our intestines. <\/p>\n

And sometimes, they can kill you. <\/p>\n

Most strains are harmless, but tetanus, botulism and gangrene are caused by clostridial species. Vaccination, sanitation and improved medical care have made these infections less common, but one variety has been difficult to contain.<\/p>\n

Clostridium difficile, <\/em>or C<\/em>. diff<\/em>, can cause diarrhea and a life-threatening infection of the intestines<\/a>. The bug was associated with nearly 30,000 deaths in 2011<\/a>. <\/p>\n

First seen as a problem mainly confined to hospitals and nursing homes, research suggests C. diff<\/em> rates in the community are on the rise, and that traditional risk factors may no longer tell the whole story. <\/p>\n

C. diff<\/em> was discovered in 1935<\/a> by scientists in Denver in the intestinal flora<\/a> of healthy infants. The bacterium was harmless to the infants but proved lethal when injected into rabbits, providing an early clue to its danger. <\/p>\n