Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis: pathogenesis and therapy

Clostridium difficile is the cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis and is now recognized as one of the most important nosocomial infections. C. difficile infection can produce a spectrum of conditions ranging from asymptomatic carriage to pseudomembranous colitis (PMC), a special form of colitis characterized by the presence on the colonic mucosa of yellow or white plaques composed of mucus, leukocytes and fibrin. Although therapy is available for the majority of patients with C. difficile infection, pseudomembranous colitis is a serious, sometimes life-threatening, disease which, if untreated, can lead to major complications.