Overuse of antibiotics blamed in spread of drug-resistant strain of intestinal infection

Courtesy of the Daily Herald

Joan Corboy couldn't figure out what was making her so sick.

The 80-year-old Wilmette woman lost 55 pounds in five months, with chronic diarrhea so bad she "had to lay in bed hour after hour" because she felt so weak.

"I'm one tough cookie," she says. "But it was a dreadful experience."

The cause of her illness turned out to be a virulent strain of a common intestinal bug that's quickly become one of the most widespread infections in hospitals and other health-care settings. The bacteria -- Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile -- has been around at least 30 years. But there's been a sharp increase since 2000 in cases tied to an unusually toxic, antibiotic-resistant strain -- NAP1. Experts blame the overuse of antibiotics for helping spread this latest super bug.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that C. diff sickens as many as 500,000 Americans a year and contributes to at least 15,000 deaths. "We're seeing more cases, and we're seeing more severe cases," says the CDC's Dr. Carolyn Gould.

Dr. Stuart Johnson, a Loyola University Medical Center infectious disease doctor, says he sees two cases of C. diff for every one of MRSA, a drug-resistant staph. Other hospitals say they haven't seen a big increase in serious cases, which typically occur in older people who've been on antibiotics.

"You have to acquire the bacteria, which is done through ingestion of spores or swallowing them," Gould says. "The second element is receiving antibiotics, which disrupt the normal, or 'good,' bacteria in the colon that would normally control the C. diff."

Hospitals and nursing homes are prime breeding grounds. There are two antibiotics that still work against C. diff, but re-infection rates are high.

Since the drug-resistant strain of the bacteria became widespread, many Chicago hospitals have taken steps to curb C. diff outbreaks. For instance, patients with a confirmed case of C. diff are put in private rooms, and hospital staffers have to wear gloves and gowns when treating these patients, says Dr. Gary Noskin, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

"In terms of precautions the public can take, they can quit demanding antibiotics for everything," says Dr. John Segreti, head of infection control at Rush University Medical Center.

Bonnie - it is nice to see doctors are starting to get it. Dr. Gould even recognizes how antibiotics wipe out good bacteria that would otherwise control C. Difficile. This is why it is crucial to always take high dose probiotics, including acidophilus and saccharomyces boulardii during a round of antibiotics.