# C. difficile Health Brief

> Independent news, research updates, and evidence-based explainers on Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) for clinicians and patients.

## Pages

- [Home](/): Latest C. difficile briefing and featured explainers.
- [News](/news): Live feed of new PubMed papers and Google News headlines on C. difficile.
- [Research](/research): Active research areas — microbiome therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics, genomic surveillance.

## About

- [About C. difficile](/about): Section hub linking the bacterium, risk factors, and why it matters.
- [What is C. diff?](/about/what-is-c-difficile): Spore-forming anaerobe, TcdA/TcdB toxins, colon damage, spore survival.
- [Why it matters](/about/why-it-matters): ~500,000 US infections/year, mortality, recurrence, hospital burden.
- [Who is at risk?](/about/who-is-at-risk): Antibiotics, age 65+, healthcare exposure, PPIs, IBD.

## Symptoms

- [Symptoms overview](/symptoms): Index of C. difficile symptoms articles.
- [Symptoms hub](/symptoms/hub): Searchable hub of symptom explainers.
- [The C. diff smell](/symptoms/c-diff-smell): Distinctive odour and why it occurs.
- [What does C. diff poop look like?](/symptoms/what-does-c-diff-poop-look-like): Stool appearance and red flags.
- [C. diff colitis](/symptoms/c-diff-colitis): Pseudomembranous colitis and severe disease.
- [Once you have C. diff](/symptoms/once-you-have-c-diff): What to expect during and after infection.
- [How C. diff is tested](/symptoms/how-c-diff-is-tested): GDH, PCR, toxin assays, two-step algorithms.
- [Symptoms returned after treatment](/symptoms/symptoms-returned-after-treatment): Recognising recurrence.
- [PPIs and recurrent C. difficile](/symptoms/proton-pump-inhibitors-recurrent-c-difficile): Evidence, mechanisms, deprescribing.

## Transmission

- [Transmission](/transmission): How C. difficile spreads.
- [How C. diff spreads](/transmission/how-c-diff-spreads): Spores, surfaces, hands, healthcare settings.
- [Is C. diff contagious?](/transmission/is-c-diff-contagious): How long contagious, airborne question, family risk, on surfaces.
- [Hospital vs community](/transmission/hospital-vs-community): Healthcare-associated vs community-acquired.
- [Asymptomatic carriers](/transmission/asymptomatic-carriers): Colonisation without disease.
- [C. diff ribotypes](/transmission/c-diff-ribotypes): PCR ribotyping, RT027/078/106, virulence, recurrence, geographic shifts.

## Treatment

- [Treatment overview](/treatment): First-line therapies and recurrence strategies.
- [Fidaxomicin](/treatment/fidaxomicin): Dificid, IDSA/SHEA/ESCMID-preferred, lower recurrence.
- [Oral vancomycin](/treatment/oral-vancomycin): Glycopeptide, dosing, taper/pulse for recurrence.
- [Metronidazole](/treatment/metronidazole): Demotion from first-line, IV in severe ileus.
- [Bezlotoxumab](/treatment/bezlotoxumab): Zinplava, single IV anti-TcdB, MODIFY trials.
- [Faecal microbiota transplantation](/treatment/fecal-microbiota-transplant): FMT for recurrent C. difficile.
- [Live biotherapeutics](/treatment/live-biotherapeutics): REBYOTA (RBX2660) and VOWST (SER-109).

## Prevention

- [Prevention](/prevention): Stewardship, hand hygiene, cleaning.
- [Probiotics](/prevention/probiotics): Evidence base and limits.
- [C. diff vaccine](/prevention/c-diff-vaccine): Vaccine candidates, timeline, and why no licensed vaccine exists yet.

## Diet

- [C. diff diet](/c-diff-diet): Eating during and after infection.