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A member asked:
Is c diff only contagious through contact with infected stools?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
A Verified Doctoranswered
Internal Medicine 39 years experience
No.The spores are: very fastidious and can exist on all kinds of surfaces .This is one reason why it is so contagious.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
2.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 38-year-old member asked:
How long is c diff contagious?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Daniel Zandmananswered
Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 16 years experience
Good question: Hard to say. We don't routinely test patients with c diff to confirm eradication after treatment, because they can still be asymptomatic carriers (test positive but feeling well). So are they contagious? Probably not. The vast majority of people exposed to someone with prior c diff don't get sick. But exposure to active c diff could lead to colonization, or even infection if on antibiotics.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Chicago, IL
A female asked:
Is c. diff contagious through airborne?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Stephen Scholandanswered
Infectious Disease 25 years experience
Definitely not: C. diff is a disease transmitted by the 'fecal-oral' route, which sounds disgusting because it is. Spores from another patient can contaminate the environment that someone might have visited earlier (like a shared bathroom in a 2 bed room in a hospital). Once those are ingested, under certain conditions (antibiotic use mostly), the spores can germinate and cause infection. C. diff can be bad news.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
862 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Jul 26, 2018
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