There are many bacteria and germs that we are exposed to often without having a reaction or illness. However, when conditions are correct, this same bacteria extreme infection. C Diff is a bacteria that many people carry and do not have any type of illness as a result. However, when C Diff can cause an infection when your immune system is compromised. When the good bacteria within your intestines are killed, you are susceptible to a C Diff infection that ca be extremely severe.
Is C Diff Contagious?
C Diff is an infection that is extremely contagious and it can be spread very easily. When C Diff is in diarrhea form it is contagious and a harmful infection. It is often caught by individuals when their hands touch very small amounts of fecal matter that is contaminated by C Diff. The bacteria from these surfaces enters your body through the mouth when your hands touch food. If you wash your hands thoroughly before and after contact with toilets, you can often avoid exposure to C Diff altogether. However, this infection is very contagious and can be spread easily.
How Do You Become A Carrier?
It is still not completely understood how individuals become carriers of C Diff in infection form. It has been found that exposure in hospitals can be one of the most likely spores of this infection. Spores from the diarrhea can infiltrate carriers at this time. However, this is only an assumption and is not found to be the only viable explanation for how carriers are made.
How Long Are The Contagious Periods?
When spores of C Diff are left behind on surfaces, they can infect new people for months. However, if diarrhea is not one of the symptoms of the carrier, then the contagious period of the spores may be shortened. Once C Diff is in the intestine, you do not show infection symptoms immediately. There is other good bacteria to keep the C Diff at bay, but eventually the good bacteria can be killed and the Cc Diff infection will begin to form. Taking antibiotics for other illnesses is a common way to kill off good bacteria.
This means that you should always wash your hands and follow good hygiene practices in bathrooms to avoid becoming a carrier of C Diff.
