Can c diff cause terrible body odor?

[Seediff]

Hi everyone, I'm a 22 year old male with a 5 year history of GI problems. Doctors quickly labeled it as IBS and encouraged me to move on with my life. A couple times in that first year I was prescribed antibiotics for other conditions and for over two years used clindamycin cream for acne.

About 3 years ago the symptoms got a little worse, constant diarrhea - but with seemingly incomplete evacuation, almost like being constipated and having diarrhea at the same time - sharp pains, swelling, irritation, I couldn't digest anything properly. Again the doctors I went to would run a few basic tests, and say "its your IBS, just try to take it easy, follow the diet, take metamucil, etc."

So a few months after that my friends started complaining that I smelled terribly. At first they just hinted, but when I mentioned it outright they admitted I smelled like "manure." I talked to some of my teachers and found out that they too, "had noticed a difference..." Not long after that, I started catching whiffs of an outright terrible odor at moments throughout the day, people would react negatively and comment on the smell in public transit, school, work, stores, everywhere I went.

The last two and half years have been a roller coaster of social anxiety, hope when I think I've found a possible solution, and disappointment. I've always had good hygiene, which became extreme after this started. I've tried restrictive diets, supplements, the works. This morning I was in a state of complete hopelessness; my recent life was playing like a video in my head, remembering all the nasty comments I've heard since then, starting with "manure." A few search combinations later with odor descriptions and my symptoms, I came up on a website about C diff, and how it was "one of the worst smells" nurses have ever encountered. The descriptions were spot on to how I've been smelling, the physical symptoms were spot on, the triggers, everything suddenly made sense!

In light of this new found hope, I have some questions I would like to ask you folks:

Does this sound reasonable or is there just no chance C diff could be the cause?
Has anyone experienced a bad body odor with c diff? Not just BMs?
C diff has been found on the skin of patients, is skin 'infection' a possibility?
If so, short of chlorine on the skin - which doesn't sound like a good idea - how could someone fight c diff on the skin?

If an infection is already so advanced as to cause the symptoms I've mentioned, basically untreated in the body for 5 years, and home environment untreated for c diff, is there any chance of success? Not a cure but basically beating it back to an asymptomatic state? After reading how resistant the spores are I feel like its a losing battle.

I made an appointment for next week, going to ask for a c diff test. Have had basic stool tests in the past, is c diff included in the standard test or would it only be tested for if c diff is specifically suspected? If the c diff test comes back negative, does that completely rule it out as a possibility or is it like a few other infections that are very hard to test for, a lot could go wrong, and have high chance of being wrong or inconclusive?

Thank you for this website and for allowing me to share my story and ask these questions. You've given me a glimmer of hope today!

[beth22]

Hi and welcome to the site. Please read the first forum for information and posting.

I don't know if c diff can cause body odor, but it certainly does cause a "manure" type of odor with bms. I know that stomach issues can cause body odor. My mom had a stomach infection, as well as c diff, and I remember when we visited her in the hospital, she had a very bad smell. It cleared up after her infection was cleared. It was years ago, so I couldn't tell you what she had. It might have been the c diff at the time, but I tend to think it was something else.

I think having a c diff test is a good idea. It is a separate test, not part of the standard culture. It has to be collected fresh and you have to get it to the lab quickly. I would ask your doctor to test you for everything - parasites, stool culture and c diff.

Also, some people who have IBS have SIBO, which is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. You can have a lot of gas and flatulence with that and perhaps the smell might be from that. There is a breath test for that. I would talk to your doctor about it.

I'm sure that you have probably googled all about body odor and causes. Was there any mention of vitamin deficiencies or anything like that? GI problems can cause them. Ask the doctor if being low on anything could do this. Do you eat a lot of garlic? I know that can permeate the body and cause odors.

Maybe someone else will have more information than I do, but I do agree that if you have had GI issues for this long, you need to see a specialist and I think be tested for pathogens, including c difficile.

[roy]

I don't think c.diff can cause what you describe.
For a start c.diff can not live in the presence of oxygen.
It only survives outside the colon by becoming a dormant spore and is then inactive.
C.diff will almost definitely not be the cause of your problem.
For your internal illness have you had a test for celiac?
Your at the right age for a first diagnosis of that.
External body odour is caused by external bacteria or yeasts and your Dr should be able to advise about that.
C.diff can not be the primary cause if it's not causing typical c.diff disease symptoms.

[georgina]

Classic symptoms of Cdiff are diarrhea , abdominal pain , fever but Cdiff is one strange disease, many people complained about strange symptoms over time like : insomnia , racing heart , extreme anxiety but never heard anyone complaining about bad body odor. Get that checked with a specialist!

[Seediff]

Thanks for the responses,

I've had tests done for celiac and vitamin deficiencies, results were negative. I don't eat a lot of garlic and avoid odor trigger foods overall.

It sounds unlikely that c diff could be the cause of bad body odor then, I'll get a test for it anyway as well as other pathogens and parasites as you've recommended Beth, just to be on the safe side.

Thanks again Beth, Roy, and Georgina!

[lesliea]

Yes it can. While this symptom may not be common, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I had c diff for over a year and a half and I can tell you, my body odor changed, significantly. Before c diff, I had no body odor whatsoever. The "classic" symptoms on even medical sites do not list all the actual symptoms and symptoms can and do vary from person to person.

[Healed]

Hello Leslia or Anyone Else:

Have you experienced a body ordor post c. Diff? It is not foul and doesn't stink, but I know that I didn't have this smell prior to c.diff.