Spores?

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merle17
New User
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:48 pm

Spores?

Postby merle17 » Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:27 am

Forgive my my naivte but I am a month and a half into my battle with C. Diff and starting my second round of Flagyl. I have read a great deal of this website snd have learned a great deal but I am still confused about spores and hygene. Could you explain to me what spores have to do with recurrence? And how they become contageous to others. Forgive me if this question is repetitive perhaps instead you can guide me to an earlier post. Sorry to take up your time.
Sincerely,
Merle

MKW
Regular Contributor
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:49 am

Re: Spores?

Postby MKW » Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:57 am

Hi Merle17, I had CDiff four times and finally had an FMT in March that worked for me, and there are still many aspects of spores that I don't understand! So don't worry about asking :-) hopefully you will get some good replies, as many posters on here are VERY knowledgeable.
I still never understood why if I would always be a carrier I had to worry about reinfecting myself for example.
I have worried endlessly that I exposed my two daughters. It is frustrating that some articles state spores can live on surfaces for 30-60 days and others state two years. Big difference. You'd think somehow they could at least pin that down since it's the number one hospital acquired infection.

OCmama
Regular Contributor
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2017 10:44 pm

Re: Spores?

Postby OCmama » Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:42 pm

Hi!! Spores are a "hobby" of mine ;-)

Spores can live outside the human body for up to 2 years. They are covered in a sticky layer of surface proteins, which makes the them very hard to remove from hands and surfaces. Gloves play a major role in reducing transmission as it takes 4 minutes of scrubbing with soap to completely remove spores from hands. The spores also often lay dormant within the instestines/colon until the host experiences another alteration the gut flora (antibiotics). The only current sure way to kill spores is bleach (1:10 solution or buy health care bleach), the bleach causes the spore to burst. Spores are covered in an armor like shell which makes them very difficult to kill.

Spores are shed into the environment mostly in bowel movements. So it is very important to take care when using the toilet, and to keep the bathroom very clean. Spores find their way into the environment of those who are experiencing CDI, and those who are asymptotic carriers. I like to think of spores like glitter from Christmas; think about how long you find all the tiny pieces of glitter from ornaments and decorations, and all the weird places you find it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4647607/

AllisS
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:52 pm

Re: Spores?

Postby AllisS » Sun Jul 30, 2017 1:03 am

Yes, spores are in the environment, is my understanding as well. However, I was reassured by my C. diff specialist doctor, when I had the infection, that it was unnecessary to go to extreme lengths trying to sanitize my house. (I'd been given a "scare" warning to do so by the NP of my regular GI doctor; I stopped seeing him as a result of all of the misinformation.) Other than a situation where someone is incontinent, e.g., in a nursing home, where the risk of transmission and reinfection would be quite high, a reasonable level of precaution should suffice. Many of us on this site have used Clorox Germicidal Bleach Wipes -- they are available only online for some reason; they aren't sold in retail stores or pharmacies. You can use them to clean hard surfaces in the bathroom, such as toilet handles, faucet knobs, and countertops. You can also use them in the kitchen on hard surfaces that are touched often. And on frequently handled objects such as TV remotes. They ought not be used on fabric. (And fabric doesn't need to be sanitized unless it's soiled, in which case you'd want to either wash it in hot water with bleach or discard it.) The bleach wipes should always be used with disposable gloves; pharmacies sell these by the box.
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm


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