c diff in 3 year old?

my 3yr old daughter was just released from the hospital. she had diarrhea for 6 days straight. and im not talking a few times a day... totalling well over 250 times in the 6 days span. anyways, she tested positive for c diff. how did she get this and what exactly is it? her dr is not giving too much info and speaks in terminology that i cant understand. is it contagious?

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  Was she hospitalized because of the C Diff or was she already in the hospital and then she got C DIff?  Had she been on antibiotics recently before the C Diff?  These questions will help me answer your question of how she got it.

C Diff is an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhea and a variety of other symptoms.  It is usually treated using vancomycin or metronidazole.  It is considered "contagious" but if you haven't been on antibiotics recently, then you almost surely won't get it.

[CalGal]

Even seemingly healthy people who have not been on antibiotics recently can unfortunately acquire C. diff from someone who has the problem. Lostnlove, it would be a good idea to call your doc's office and discuss how you should disinfect surfaces, and how you might want to protect yourself from acquiring the disease. If your daughter isn't working with an infectious disease doc, you may want to consider asking your doc to refer you to one. Some non ID docs will simply 'throw' metronidazole at the problem and it may not be the proper way of handling it.

[lostnlove49271]

She was put in the hospital because of c diff. Her last antibiotic was almost 6 months ago. I cleaned her every time, but always made sure I washed my hands. Where did she pick this up from? And could it come back? Thank you guys so much for replying!!

[lostnlove49271]

shes now just seeing her pediatrician. i cleaned everything with clorox and water. ive already had diarrhea for 3 days. Afraid ive got it.

[patient915]

She probably touched a surface that had C Diff on it from someone else and then put her hands in her mouth or ate food without washing her hands.  In about 20% of cases, it comes back.  You should start her on a probiotic if her doctor says that's okay and the preferred probiotic to take for C Diff is called Florastor.  Make sure you always wash your hands with antibacterial soap (alcohol gel doesn't kill C Diff).  I would recommend seeing your doctor and also being tested for it.  You are correct that all surfaces need to be washed with bleach to kill C Diff.

[lostnlove49271]

Thank you so much. This was a nasty lil bug!! Also, would you happen to know if.. lets say.. my son touched something that had c diff on it and put his hands in his mouth.. how long it would take to produce symptoms?

[patient915]

First off, he wouldn't necessairly get it.  I don't know, but I would expect him to show symptoms in days to weeks.