什么是難辨梭菌?

什么是難辨梭菌?

A potentially deadly, infectious superbug called Clostridium difficile has exploded in growth three-fold over the last decade. C. diff, as it's also called, causes almost half a million illnesses in the United States each year, and 1 in 11 people over age 65 die within a month of being diagnosed with it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

難辨梭菌是一種具有潛在致命性和傳染性的超級細菌，在過去的十年里，它的生長速度是普通細菌的三倍。美國疾病控制與預防中心的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在美國，該細菌每年導致近50萬人患病，每11名65歲以上的老人中就有一人在被診斷出患有這種疾病后一個月內(nèi)死亡。

Elderly people in medical facilities can be at risk for the C. difficile infection. (Photo: Kasco Sandor/Shutterstock)

What is C. difficile? C. difficile infection is a harmful bacterium that produces toxins that attack the lining of the intestine. The toxins destroy cells and produce plaques of inflammatory cells and decaying cellular debris inside the colon.

難辨梭菌是什么?艱難梭菌感染是一種有害的細菌，它會產(chǎn)生毒素攻擊腸道內(nèi)壁。毒素破壞細胞并在結腸內(nèi)產(chǎn)生炎性細胞斑塊和腐爛的細胞碎片。

C.difficile spores are passed through the feces of people who have the toxic bacteria in their gut. Spores can persist in the environment (on hospital beds or railings) and can also be spread through the air or find their way into the food.

難辨梭菌是通過腸道內(nèi)有毒細菌攜帶者的糞便傳播。孢子可以在環(huán)境中存活(在醫(yī)院的病床或欄桿上)，也可以通過空氣傳播或進入食物中。

Another major cause is taking antibiotics, which can kill millions of beneficial micro-organisms in the gut. Colitis caused by Clostridium difficile is a major complication of prescribing antibiotics, according to research conducted by Baylor University.

另一個主要原因是服用抗生素，它可以殺死腸道中數(shù)以百萬計的有益微生物。根據(jù)貝勒大學的研究，難辨梭菌引起的結腸炎是開抗生素處方的主要并發(fā)癥。

Awareness of antibiotics' negative impact has grown, but they are still prescribed too frequently. If you need to, get a second opinion. (Photo: Burlingham/Shutterstock)

Antibiotics cause a reduction in bacteria that normally reside in the colon. If an antibiotic-treated patient ingests C. difficile bacteria, this organism may proliferate in the colon because it's resistant to most antibiotics and because it doesn't have to compete with the normal bacteria for nutrients, the paper by Baylor researchers concludes.

抗生素導致通常存在于結腸中的細菌減少。貝勒研究人員的論文得出結論稱，如果接受抗生素治療的患者攝入艱難梭菌，這種微生物可能會在結腸中增殖，因為它對大多數(shù)抗生素都有抗藥性，而且它不需要與正常細菌爭奪營養(yǎng)。

Ironically, in some cases, it's treated by administering certain antibiotics that target the C. difficile colony in the gut.

具有諷刺意味的是，在某些情況下，它的治療方法是使用針對腸道內(nèi)難辨梭菌菌落的特定抗生素。

In extreme cases, surgery is required to remove the infected part of the intestine.

在極端情況下，需要手術切除感染部分的腸道。

Under a magnification of 3006x, this scanning electron microscopic image depicts a large grouping of rod-shaped, Gram-positive Clostridium difficile bacteria. (Photo: CDC/Lois S. Wiggs (PHIL #6260)/Wikimedia Commons)

Usually, elderly people who have taken several courses of antibiotics and have stayed for several stints in the hospital.

通常，上過幾次抗生素療程并在醫(yī)院住過幾次的老年人會感染。

But it's not just infected people who carry C. difficile. One British medical online forum claims that three in 100 adults and as many as 70 percent of healthy babies are carriers of C. difficile.

但不僅僅是感染了難辨梭菌的人。一個英國醫(yī)學在線論壇聲稱，每100個成年人中就有3個是難辨梭菌攜帶者，而健康嬰兒中多達70%是難辨梭菌攜帶者。

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. However, washing with anti-bacterial soap or sanitizer can have the opposite effect by reducing the good bacteria in your gut and making you more susceptible to infections.

經(jīng)常用肥皂水洗手。然而，用抗菌肥皂或消毒劑洗手會產(chǎn)生相反的效果，減少腸道中的有益細菌，使你更容易受到感染。

Use plain soap and water, instead of antibacterial soaps. (Photo: hxdbzxy/Shutterstock)

Also, don't take antibiotics unless you really need them. Get a second opinion from a medical doctor or a naturopathic doctor. Start taking probiotics if you have taken antibiotics recently.

此外，除非真的需要，否則不要服用抗生素。征求醫(yī)生或自然療法醫(yī)生的意見。如果你最近服用過抗生素，那就開始服用益生菌。

"I recommend probiotics to my patients who travel out of the country, or have taken antibiotics. Actually, I recommend them to anybody with a pulse," advises Lamm.

“我向出國旅行或服用抗生素的病人推薦益生菌。事實上，我向任何有脈搏的人推薦它們。