CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE

Course overview

CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE IS A GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIUM THAT IS THE CAUSE MOST IMPLICATED IN ANTIBIOTIC-ASSOCIATED DIARRHEA. THE EMERGENCE OF A NEWER HYPERVIRULENT STRAIN NORTH AMERICAN PULSED-FIELD GEL ELECTROPHORESIS TYPE 1 (NAP1) HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASE IN INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY OF C. DIFFICILE INFECTIONS (CDI) OVER THE LAST DECADE. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF C. DIFFICILE INFECTION AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.