When the Bacteria Get Difficult: C. Difficile and the Quest for Clean Surfaces and Hand Washing

“You can help prevent the spread of C. diff in many ways, including thoroughly washing your hands, using bleach-based cleaners, and using prescriptions exactly as directed.”

These words from the Peggy Lillis Foundation highlight key steps to prevent infection by this bacterium. Sound familiar?

Clostridium difficile, a bacterium causing symptomatic infections, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is another notorious example. These so-called super bacteria are the result of modern medicine’s “successes,” coupled with our lack of discipline as patients and our neglect in properly washing our hands after using the bathroom.

I am not criticizing modern medicine. On the contrary, thanks to Alexander Fleming’s discovery of antibiotics, both human and animal lifespans have significantly increased. However, humans tend to bend rules, especially medical instructions. For instance, if a doctor prescribes an antibiotic for seven days, some stop taking it by the fourth or fifth day once we start feeling better. This habit, combined with the rapid evolution of bacteria and viruses, leads to increased resistance to antibiotics, making it harder to combat these microorganisms today.

What Else Do We Know About C. Difficile?

1. difficile, commonly known as C. diff, is typically present in environments such as soil, air, water, human and animal feces, and contaminated food products. It can only be killed by bleach-based disinfectants or advanced ultraviolet equipment.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “C. difficile spores can be shed into the environment by both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients and may survive for up to 5 months on inanimate surfaces. They resist the bactericidal effects of most hospital disinfectants and other decontamination techniques.“

How can we prevent the spread of this kind of bacteria?

Florence Nightingale, in her 1860 book “Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not,” provides us with five simple solutions that have been confirmed and enhanced by the medical and scientific community since then:

1. Pure Air
2. Pure Water
3. Efficient Drainage
4. Cleanliness
5. Light

With today’s medical and industrial advancements, we have the power to stay safe and avoid as much cross-contamination and infection as possible. However, this requires a greater effort to follow simple everyday hygiene rules, starting in our own homes.

Why don’t we, the next time we visit a bathroom, wash our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds and dry them with paper towels, leaving the doorknobs free of contact if we are in a public bathroom?

Why don’t we, the next time we visit or receive patients, wash our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, dry them with paper towels, and use gloves, disposing of them afterward? C. difficile cannot be eliminated, by alcohol-based sanitizers and disinfectants.

Why don’t we, the next time we visit the bathroom as workers in a food-related facility or any other type, wash our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, dry them with paper towels, use gloves, and dispose of them afterward?

This is James Garfield, 20Th presidents of the US… Do you know why he died?

Science and technology will continue to provide us with amazing results in the years to come, but we need to understand that our health is not only a public concern, it is a personal concern.

Why do we have to get sick to understand this?

I do not want to be sick either, why don’t we cheer together over two or three olives and continue these ideas? You never know, we can extend the conversation and find common ground!

What do you think? I am here to listen.