An estimated 300000 patients a year in the UK acquire an infection as a result of care within the NHS. Healthcareassociated infections (HCAIs) can arise in hospitals and the community and affect both patients and healthcare workers. Affected individuals are then a potential source of infection for others. HCAIs are responsible for around 10 000 patient deaths and an annual cost of £1billion to the NHS. One of the most common HCAI agents is the bacterium Clostridium difficile. Characterised by diarrhoea, nausea and fever, C. difficile infection can cause severe dehydration and damage to the bowel.
C. difficile is a normal component of faecal flora in 2–3% of healthy adults. If broad-spectrum antibiotics are taken by a patient, many of the commensal bacteria inhabiting the gut are killed, allowing increased growth of the more resistant C. difficile. This is why C. difficile infection is common in patients who are taking, or have recently taken, antibiotics.
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