United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, New York, has announced that 18 patients have been diagnosed with the intestinal illness caused by the Clostridium difficile bacteria (c. diff) in the period from February 28 through April 15, 2011. The illness is usually found in patients with weakened immune systems and those whose normal intestinal bacteria have been killed by prescribed antibiotic treatment for another condition. The bacteria produce two toxins that cause the symptoms.
Diarrhea, fever and cramping are the main symptoms. The diarrhea is generally watery and may be uncontrolled and explosive. Untreated, the illness can cause death from dehydration. The toxins can also cause damage to the intestines which may include colitis. There are specific antibiotic treatments for the illness, to affect the c. diff bacteria that the original antibiotics did not.
The illness is almost always found in the healthcare setting where the most vulnerable patients are. Correct hygiene procedures by hospital and nursing home staff are the best preventative. The bacterial spores are found in feces and spread through the failure to wash hands properly and disinfect contaminated surfaces. The illness is a reportable illness in New York and the State Health Department monitors healthcare facilities for their rates of infection. United Memorial had had no cases of the illness in six of the twelve months in 2010, including the period August to December.
United Memorial, the county and the NYS Health Department continue to make every effort to identify those infected, and to improve sanitary practices to eliminate the illness in the hospital. No deaths related to this outbreak of c. diff have been reported.
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