Here you will find a list of common terms associated with clostridium difficile colitis. Please see the disclaimer/warning at the bottom of this page.
Acidophilus; A bacteria found in yogurt. Thought to be a "good" bacteria for helping with the flora of the stomach.
Antibiotic; A drug used to treat bacterial infections.
Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea; Persistent diarrhea condition caused by the use of antibiotics. When antibiotics are used, oftentimes they kill the "good" bacteria in the stomach and intestine which are needed for healthy digestion. Clostridium difficile is also referred to as antibiotic associated diarrhea.
Asymptomatic; Symptom-free; without symptoms.
Bacteria; A microorganism that does not have any internal cell membranes. Some bacteria cause diseases; others may be beneficial for digestion or have antibacterial properties in which they can fight against overpopulation of "bad" bacteria.
Bacterium; The plural form of bacteria; more than one bacteria.
Bacitracin; An alternate antibiotic to Metronidazole and Vancomycin.
Bismuth subsalicylate; a.k.a. "Pepto-Bismol". Bismuth - a mineral known to have positive antidiarrheal, antibacterial and antiacid effects combined with Subsalicylate - a non-aspirin salicylate which means it is related to aspirin.
Cholestyramine; See "Questran". A drug typically used for reducing cholesterol levels. Cholestyramine binds bile acids and other substances in the intestine. It is thought that by binding the toxins produced by c. difficile, they are excreted faster from the intestine, cause less damage and the patient may experience fewer symptoms & irritation. May NOT be taken at the same time with Vancomycin or Metronidazole.
Clostridium; A group of bacteria that thrive in the absence of oxygen. There are many different species of clostridium - such as clostridium difficile (can cause colitis) and clostridium botulinum (causes botulism).
Clostridium Difficile; A spore forming bacterium which is common in the large intestine and is a common cause of clostridium difficile colitis, pseudomembranous colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Colitis; An inflammation or irritation of the large intestine/colon.
Colonoscopy; A procedure in which a doctor inserts a tiny flexible tube with a camera inside the patient's rectum to check for abnormalities within the large intestine.
Culturelle; A brand-name/division of ConAgra Foods, Inc., which produces a probiotic formula containing lactobacillus gg.
Difficile; A strain of bacterium within the clostridium group. See "clostridium difficile".
Flagyl; see 'metronidazole'. An antibiotic used in the treatment of c. difficile and other infections.
FloraStor; A brand name of a type of s. boulardii. See "s. boulardii".
Gastroenterologist; A doctor who specializes in diseases of the digestive system.
G.I.; See "Gastroenterologist".
Lactobacillus; A fundamental bacteria (typically classified as a "good" bacteria). A bacteria found in milk products and yogurt.
Lactobacillus GG; See 'lactobacillus'. This bacterium is another strain of lactobacillus. The 'g.g.' is named after the researchers who discovered this strain. Both of their last names start with the letter G. This is a proprietary bacteria which Culturelle (a brand name owned by ConAgra Foods, Inc.) specifically uses in their probiotic formula.
Metronidazole; See "Flagyl". An antibiotic used in the treatment of c. difficile and other infections.
OTC; "over the counter". A drug, medication, or supplement that is available commercially to the public without a prescription.
Probiotic; A supplement, substance or product which may help re-populate or replenish the digestive system with "good" bacteria. May be helpful to increase the population of good bacteria and overpower disease-causing bacteria such as c. difficile. Typically, this is lactobacillus acidophilus.
Pulse Dosing; An alternative and experimental way of taking dosages of antibiotics in the treatment of c. difficile. Normally, an antibiotic is taken every day. In pulse dosing (when prescribed by a doctor only), the patient may not take a dose every day; or may be directed to take dosages at different specified intervals. This method is not proven and should only be done after being recommended by a qualified physician.
Questran; Brand name for the generic drug, cholestyramine. See "cholestyramine".
Rifampin/Rifadin/Rimactane; An antibacterial; antimycobacterial drug. Commonly used as a treatment for tuberculosis, rifampin is also used in c. difficile treatment & asymptomatic carriers of meningitis.
S. Boulardii; See explanation below.
Saccharomyces Boulardii; A form of yeast thought to inhibit toxins from adhering to the intestinal wall. May inhibit c. diff growth. May help inactivate the c. diff toxins by preventing it from adhering to the intestine walls.
Sigmoidoscopy; Similar to a colonoscopy - the doctor inserts a small camera into the rectum and lower large intestine of the patient to check for abnormalities in the lower large intestine.
Spore; A mutated form of a bacteria. When the bacterium's surrounding environment becomes stressed, bacteria produce spores that tolerate the extreme conditions that the active bacteria cannot. Thus, spores can live in hostile environments and survive in spore form until conditions are correct. When conditions are favorable, the spore can reactivate and take on active bacterial form again and create toxins.
Synsorb Biotech, Inc.; A Canadian pharmaceutical company that was working on a new treatment for clostridium difficile colitis. They have terminated studies and further development.
Tapering; An alternative way of taking dosages of antibiotics in the treatment of c. difficile. It is becoming more mainstream with doctors treating c. diff patients, however. Normally, an antibiotic is taken every day at the same number of pills per day for usually 10 to 14 days. Using the tapering method (when prescribed by a doctor only), the patient would start taking a prescribed number of pills each day for a period of time, then the number of pills would be reduced for another period of time until the patient may be down to one pill a day for an extended period of time (maybe even months). Always follow your doctor's prescription & dosage recommendations exactly as they are given to you.
Toxin; A highly poisonous protein normally produced by a disease producing bacteria. The toxins released from the clostridium difficile bacterium is responsible for the severe symptoms associated with clostridium difficile colitis.
Toxic Megacolon; An advanced stage of disease where the colon is abnormally enlarged and inflamed. This is a possible result of delayed or improper treatment of clostridium difficile colitis. Left untreated, the patient could develop fatal infections due to toxic megacolon.
Vancocin; A brand name for the antibiotic, vancomycin. See "vancomycin".
Vancomycin; An antibiotic used orally to treat clostridium difficile colitis. Typically it is used only after metronidazole/flagyl is proven ineffective or if the patient is allergic to metronidazole.
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