C Difficile Alert

16 Deaths Linked To C Diff at One Hospital

Link: 16 Deaths Linked To C Diff Outbreak At One Hospital (from The Herald ).

A leading health expert last night warned that the virulent hospital bug C Diff could now be a bigger threat than MRSA after it emerged that 16 patients were found to have died in the country's biggest outbreak.

An investigation by the infection control team at Vale of Leven Hospital in West Dunbartonshire revealed 54 people had been treated for a particularly deadly strain of C Diff in the six months to June 1, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS said yesterday.

Eight people died as a direct result of the 027 strain and the bug was found to have contributed to the deaths of a further eight people, the health board said.
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Another six patients with the infection died at the hospital, but the board said the C Diff played no role in these cases.

The outbreak is the clearest sign yet that C Diff has taken root in Scotland. It had previously been considered more of a problem south of the border. The first Scottish case of 027 was diagnosed in October 2006.

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, described the latest outbreak as a major threat to Scottish hospitals.

He said: "There's no absolute proof, but it does seem to be particularly good at spreading in hospitals and that may be one of the reasons it has become more common."

He added that there was reason to believe C Diff was more of a priority than MRSA, warning: "A lot more people die from C Diff and it kills people quite speedily compared with MRSA, which can take months to kill."

C Diff deaths double in one year

Link: Superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile killing record numbers of patients - Telegraph.

MRSA and Clostridium difficile were linked to more than 8,000 deaths in England and Wales in 2006, up from 5,300 the previous year.

The first ever breakdown of deaths from both infections by location released by the Office for National Statistics shows that the vast majority of patients died from the bugs in hospital.

The deadly infections also killed small numbers of patients in nursing homes and hospices.
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In total there were 6,424 deaths from C difficile in all three locations in 2006, almost double the 3,719 deaths caused by the infection in 2005.

MRSA was responsible for 1,625 deaths, up from 1,621 the previous year.

Recent advances in Clostridium difficile-associated disease

Link: Recent advances in Clostridium difficile-associated disease -- Monaghan et al. 57 (6): 850 -- Gut.

The main purpose of this article is to review recent developments in the management of acute and recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated disease, with consideration of existing and new antibiotic and non-antibiotic agents for treatment. Details of the current developmental stage of new agents are provided and the role of surgery in the management of severe disease is discussed. Infection control measures considered comprise prudent use of antimicrobials, prevention of cross-infection and surveillance. Other topics that are covered include the recent emergence of an epidemic hypervirulent strain, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and approaches to rapid diagnosis and assessment of the colonic disease.

C.diff developing resistance to key drug

Link: C.diff superbug kills one patient in British hospitals every hour| News | This is London.

However, last week the Department of Health said that the battle against such superbugs was being won, claiming that C.diff infections in England had fallen by eight per cent between October and December 2007.

But according to the Panorama investigation, the way cases are counted has changed, and experts calculate that the real figure is actually between 16 and 35 per cent higher than the official rate.

Among the most serious concerns of scientists is that these figures reflect a mutation and strengthening of the superbug. Only two antibiotics can treat C.diff, and research has revealed that it has developed partial resistance to one of them.

Ironically, measures brought in to combat MRSA in hospitals are actually contributing to the spread of C.diff.

According to Professor Brendan Wren, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, alcohol handwashes, which are now used in 94 per cent of hospitals, encourage the growth of C.diff spores.

C diff figures escalate - UK 10 times worse than any other nation

Link: AFP: Superbug deaths on the rise in British hospitals: report.

Hospital deaths due to the superbug clostridium difficile among over 65-year-olds in Britain occur at ten times the rate of any other country, a report said Sunday.

The findings to be aired in a BBC Panorama Special: How safe is your hospital? on Sunday evening suggest that the superbug is not only mutating and getting stronger but also vehemently resisting drugs aimed at trying to arrest its growth.

C.difficile is responsible for the deaths of four times as many people as MRSA, with the equivalent of one person every hour dying in hospitals due to the superbug.

Despite an announcement this week saying infections due to c.difficile declined by 8 percent between October and December 2007, experts have estimated that the real figure is higher by 16 and 35 percent.

Scotland recorded a 10 percent rise in such cases while Northern Ireland witnessed a rise of almost 36 percent. Comparable figures for Wales is still not available, though Britain as a whole remains bottom of the world league.

C diff figures fall but questions remain

Link: Hospitals: MRSA Figures On The Rise Once More |Sky News|Health.

Meanwhile, although figures for the bug Cdiff bug showed an 8% drop, to 9,872 cases in patients aged 65 and over for the same period, the HPA warned that the data may not be accurate.

But, the HPA warned, the data might be incomplete because of changes to how NHS trusts reported their C diff figures and it could not be sure the fall accurately reflected the current situation.

29 catch C Diff in Winchester

Link: Patient Dies From Superbug (from Hampshire Chronicle).

WINCHESTER health chiefs are battling a outbreak of a deadly superbug which has killed one patient at the hospital.

Since the beginning of February, 29 patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital have been infected with the potentially fatal Clostridium difficile.

Managers say one elderly frail woman died after contracting the bug. The others survived and are said to be recovering.

Disease control measures explained to N Ireland patients

Link: Disease control measures explained - Londonderry Today.

THE Chief Executive of the Western Health and Social Care Trust, Elaine Way, this week issued reassurances around the effective prevention and management of Clostridium Difficile in all its health and social care environments - including Altnagelvin, where three deaths from the disease have occurred in the past year. What is the Trust doing to prevent infection by C difficile? "We are continuing to remain vigilant following the outbreak of the C. difficile 027 strain in the Northern Trust area," she said, adding: "The Western Trust is remaining vigilant and doing all that it can to prevent and manage any spread of infection throughout all our health and social care environments. Our highly skilled and committed Infection Prevention and Control Team continue to work very closely with frontline staff to ensure the consistent and rigorous application of evidence-based infection prevention and control techniques."

New dress code to help combat C Diff in Ulster

Link: ::: u.tv :::.

Strict dresscode regulations for Northern Ireland healthcare staff were introduced today in an effort to reduce the risk of another superbug outbreak.   The deaths of 36 patients have been linked to a recent c-difficile infection in the northern trust area.

Doctors and nurses must now adhere to stringent new rules regarding their clothes both inside and outside hospitals.

Health minister Michael McGimpsey also proposed a number of restrictions on hospital visits.

Calls grow for C difficile probe

Link: Calls grow for C difficile probe.

Northern Ireland's health minister is under pressure to launch a public inquiry into the deaths of 36 people who died after contracting Clostridium difficile (C difficile).

Michael McGimpsey faced new calls for a full inquiry after Stormont's Health Committee backed up requests for a further investigation.

The minister has so far resisted demands for a probe into the outbreak at the province's Northern Trust hospitals, claiming a current review by the regulatory body RQIA will provide enough information.

Members of Mr McGimpsey's scrutiny committee tabled a motion at the Assembly calling on the minister to change his mind.

Health Committee chair Iris Robinson said a full independent investigation was the only way to tackle growing public fears over hygiene and safety in Northern Ireland's hospitals.