Many of us may be unwittingly transporting a bacterium that causes a nasty “superbug” infection.
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) was once considered a health care-associated infection, because it was believed that those who became infected contracted it from a hospital or health care setting. C. diff is easily transmissible and deadly among those whose immune systems are compromised due to age or recent antibiotic use. It causes inflammation in the colon leading to fever and severe diarrhea—up to 15–30 times daily.
Newer studies have challenged the viewpoint that C. diff is primarily found and transmitted in hospitals. In fact, ongoing research at the University of Houston found C. diff in nearly identical levels inside and outside health care settings, and of all sites tested, shoe soles had the highest positivity rate at 45 percent....
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