C. Difficile

Penn researchers find that cases of recurrent C. difficile infections are rapidly increasing, underscoring the need for new treatment options, such as fecal microbiota transplants.

Kirk Hevener, PharmD, PhD, explains why narrow-spectrum antibiotics are more beneficial for treating C. difficile.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, explains what is known about Clostridium difficile prevention and control.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, shares a few things to keep in mind when using bundled approaches against C. difficile.

Superbugs, Zika, antibiotic development, C. difficile, and HIV are the article topics making up this week’s Top 5 articles.

Kirk Hevener, PharmD, PhD, explains the drawbacks of first-line drugs that are currently used to treat C. difficile infections.

Julian Hurdle, PhD explains why some patients experience recurrence of Clostridium difficile after treatment.

Niaz Banaei, MD, discusses some reasons why healthcare-associated C. difficile tends to be over-diagnosed.

Khalid Eljaaly, PharmD, MS, CAPPS, BCPS, explains why carbapenem antibiotics cause higher rates of C. diff and superinfections.

Khalid Eljaaly, PharmD, MS, CAPPS, BCPS, explains his team’s findings on the link between carbapenems and superinfections & Clostridium difficile.

Researchers believe that an increased incidence of C. difficile in travelers returning from international destinations may be linked to travelers' diarrhea.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, explains how controlling antibiotic use can impact Clostridium difficile rates.

In a Phase 2 controlled clinical study, patients with Clostridium difficile infection receiving ridinilazole were found to have achieved better treatment outcomes than those receiving vancomycin.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses a cost-effective way to control Clostridium difficile in the hospital setting.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, examines the importance of nurse-driven Clostridium difficile protocols.

What can healthcare providers do to stop these infections before they start?

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses some alternative approaches to contact precautions for patients with Clostridium difficile.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses contact precautions for patients with Clostridium difficile.

Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses five stewardship strategies to help reduce healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile rates.

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses the aggressiveness of infection prevention strategies to stop Clostridium difficile outbreaks.

Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses limitations to C. difficile testing that could impact stewardship practices in healthcare facilities.

Research coming in from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston shows that when it comes to treating those with C. difficile, frozen and freeze-dried products for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation are nearly as effective as fresh product.

News on Heliobacter pylori, Zika, Clostridium difficile, Powassan virus, and influenza make up the top 5 news articles from Contagion® in March 2017.

On March 30, 2017, at the SHEA Spring 2017 Conference, Thomas Sandora, MD, MPH, shared some tips regarding ways to manage movement outside of the room for patients who are on contact precautions.

Contagion® will be covering the conference, and so keep a look out for session coverage, as well as interviews with some of the key presenters.

In case you missed them, our top 5 articles for the week of March 19, 2017 are highlighted here.

Duke Health researchers have found that a UVC machine use can reduce transmission of harmful superbugs in hospital settings.

As emerging infectious diseases and resistant bugs become a growing issue, the need for stronger disinfectants becomes even more vital.

On March 5, 2017, at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), Gary Huang, MD, PhD, explained his research team's findings regarding self-reported allergy to drugs containing β-lactams.

Robin Jump, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University sat down with Contagion™ to discuss up-and-coming prevention methods for C. diff in the hospital setting.