People usually become ill with C.diff after taking antibiotics
New ways are needed to fight the infection Clostridium difficile and better use of antibiotics could be key, say Oxford researchers. The team from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Oxford led a unique study to map all cases of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) in Oxfordshire over a three-year period from 2008 to 2011. They used whole genome sequencing to read each bacteria's entire genetic code. The study involving researchers from Oxford and Leeds found that fewer than one in five cases of the so-called 'hospital superbug' were likely to have been acquired from other hospital cases, where the focus of infection control measures has been. The researchers also found the total number of C.diff cases fell over the period. This suggests hospital infection control was not the most significant factor in curbing the infection. Professor Tim Peto of the OUH NHS Trust and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine at Oxford University said: 'We must be clear: good infection control measures have helped minimise transmission rates in hospitals.
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