Clostridium difficile, called C.diff for short, is a gastrointestinal infection. It can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Most cases historically have occured after the use of antibiotics, or in folks susceptible to infection, like the elderly in hospitals or nursing homes. While the antibiotic kills off an unwanted infection somewhere else in the body, the gut flora is harmed inadvertently. When certain gut bacteria are killed off, the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria might be disturbed and can lead to a C.diff infection.
A relatively new treatment for C.diff is a fecal transplant. The idea behind it is that a healthy donor has the proper balance of good and bad bacteria and will repopulate the gut of a patient with C.diff. Obviously we’re inclided to think, “that’s just gross,” but with a disrupted gastrointestinal system, the possibility of another infection and/or pathogen transfer is actually something to be concerned about.
A new synthetic stool treatment in the works, called “RePOOPulate” (yes, really), might be a good treatment for those with C.diff. All the bacteria, with none of the pathogens. For those of us lucky enough to have a relatively healthy digestive system, a good way to keep it healthy is by taking some probiotic pills, eating some fermented dairy, or some fermented veggies. Saurkraut, or kimchi are probably the most commonly eaten varieties, and happen to be really easy to make at home.
I’ll post some recipes soon! Until then, you might just eat some dirt.