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Old 31-03-2009, 11:20   #45
MargaretR
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Re: things that make me feel old

I wish to amend my post#39
I had C-diff, not e-coli - both have similar effects - severe diarrheoa and vomiting, dehydration, and sometimes death.
Pseudomembranous colitis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as clindamycin and cephalosporins causes the normal bacterial flora of the bowel to be altered. In particular, when the antibiotic kills off other, competing bacteria in the intestine, any bacteria remaining will have less competition for space and nutrients there. The net effect is to permit much more extensive growth than normal of certain bacteria. Clostridium difficile is one such type of bacterium. In addition to proliferating in the bowel, the C. diff also elaborates a toxin. It is this toxin that is responsible for the diarrhea which characterizes pseudomembranous colitis.In most cases a patient presenting with pseudomembranous colitis has recently been on antibiotics. Antibiotics disturb the normal bowel bacterial flora. Clindamycin is the antibiotic classically associated with this disorder, but any antibiotic can cause the condition
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