Clostridium difficile (C. difficile or C. diff)

C. difficile is a bacterium that causes mild to severe diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. It is the most frequent cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and long-term care facilities in Canada. Most cases occur in patients who are taking certain antibiotics in high doses and over a prolonged period of time.

More information about C. difficile

Public Health Agency of Canada: C. difficile - English and Français
U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention: C. diff

Managing C. difficile at home

Wash your hands often for at least 15-20 seconds with soap and water, mainly after using the toilet and before eating or preparing meals. Caregivers should wash their hands after providing care.
Discard disposable gloves or clean rubber gloves after use.
No special precautions are needed to clean your home. The germ can be destroyed by most household cleaning products. Wet a clean cloth thoroughly with a properly diluted cleaning product (as per the manufacturer's instructions). Wipe surfaces starting from the cleanest area and moving toward the dirtiest area, paying special attention to areas such as the toilet and bathroom sink. Let the surfaces air dry. This will allow enough contact time with the cleaning product to kill the bacteria.
To clean dishes, use the dishwasher or clean by hand with soap and water.
To clean clothes and other fabrics, remove any visible stool, wash items separately, clean in a hot water cycle with soap and dry in the dryer on high heat, if possible. Dry clean when appropriate.

Reporting

Individual cases not reportable to the Health Unit.

See the Infectious Disease Protocol, Appendix 1, linked below for notification thresholds in hospital settings.

Should one go to childcare, school, or work if they have C. difficile?

Schools and childcare centres should exclude children:

if the stool is not contained in the diaper for diapered children
if the diarrhea is causing "accidents" for toilet-trained children
if stool frequency is greater than two stools above normal for that child during the time the child is in the program
if there is blood or mucus in the stool
if the diarrhea is causing dehydration (dry mouth, no tears, or no urine output in eight hours)
if the child is unable to participate and staff members determine they cannot care for the child without compromising their ability to care for the health and safety of the other children

It is not necessary to have a negative C. difficile stool test to return to school or childcare.

Note: Exclusion guidelines may differ for healthcare workers and food handlers. Follow the direction of your healthcare provider, public health case manager, or occupational health at your workplace.

Healthcare Provider Information

Contact our Communicable Disease Control (CDC) program at 705-474-1400 or toll free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5229, or by email to cdc@healthunit.ca for more information.

Last updated: August 2024, by CDC