Health & Fitness Tools

What Causes Infections Of The Colon?

2nd October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

The term “colon infection” can be used in various ways to include a number of different colon disorders and conditions.

When used by medical professionals however, these words usually refer to an infection caused by the Clostridium difficile bacteria (also called C. difficile or just C. diff).

Those most likely to get a colon infection from Clostridium difficile are seniors who are in a hospital or living in a nursing home or long term care facility. Those who are taking antibiotics to cure some other illness are among those most likely to get a colon infection from C. diff.

Antibiotics – besides killing bacteria that make us sick – often also kill helpful bacteria that live in our digestive tract and help us digest our food. Without enough of these “good” types of bacteria, C. diff runs rampant in your digestive tract. C. diff causes an infection by excreting a toxic substance that causes inflammation in the lining of the intestines and colon.

If your colon infection is fairly mild, it will probably go away when you stop taking the antibiotic. In cases wher the colon infection is more severe, however, a different type of antibiotic may be necessary to kill C. diff.

The antibiotics that seem more likely to produce Clostridium difficile infections are fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and penicillin.

C difficile bacteria is common in nature. It can be found in abundance in dirt and water, and also on plants. This bacteria floats in the air and can also be found in the metabolic wastes of humans and animals. Therefore it prospers in area where there’s poor sanitation.

To avoid C. diff contamination, be sure to keep all surfaces in your environment clean and wash your hands often. C. difficile is capable of producing spores that can live on counter tops and such surfaces for weeks or even months, If C. diff germs get on your hands and then into your mouth, they can follow your digestive tract into your intestines. The result could be a colon infection.

Just have Clostridium difficile in your system doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be sick. But people who have been infected with Clostridium difficile can give the germs to others.

In recent years, more and more cases of colon infections caused by C. diff have diagnosed. Scientists tell us that a newer, more aggressive strain of Clostridium difficile germ has mutated and is spreading. The new strain is more capable of resisting traditional medications.

Symptoms sometimes don’t show up for weeks or even months after Clostridium difficile gets into your digestive system. When colon infection symptoms do appear, they may include those detailed below.

Tenderness and discomfort in the abdomen, and possibly stomach cramps.
* Bathroom visits that may reach 15 times a day, with very watery diarrhea. This may continue for several days.
* Inflammation in the colon (also referred to as colitis).
* There might also be blood or pus in the stool, possibly including pieces of raw tissue..
* Fever and nausea.
* Lack of appetite, probably accompanied by weight loss..
* Symptoms of dehydration.

If you have these symptoms for 2-3 days, it’s time to call your doctor.

Once a diagnosis of a C. difficile infection in the colon has been made, your doctor will usually take you off the antibiotic that led to the infection. Even though your colon infection symptoms will probably improve, there are other treatment steps that may still be required.

The good news is this. There are other antibiotics you can take that will kill Clostridium difficile without destroying the helpful bacteria in your system. The most frequently antibiotics for a colon infection are metronidazole and vancomycin. Both these medications may have side effects like nausea, and they sometimes leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Be sure never to take metronidazole at the same time as you drink alcohol.

There are a number of probiotics which be beneficial in restoring your intestinal tract There’s a type of yeast – Saccharomyces boulardii – which can also be effective when combined with certain other medications.

Surgery isn’t usually performed, but is sometimes done in especially severe cases.

Colon infection treatment is not always successful. This occurs whenthe C. difficile bacterium was never totally removed from the digestive tract in the first place, or because the patient has been exposed to a new strain.

Click on colon infection and colitis treatment to learn more about keeping your colon healthy. Neal Kennedy is a retired TV and radio reporter with a special interest in health and fitness topics.