(L-R) Researcher Mahmoud Saleh and William Petri Jr., MD, PhD.
A new discovery about dangerous C. difficile diarrhea has identified a new way that the bacteria — and possibly others like it — cause severe disease. C. diff is the most common hospital-acquired infection and estimated to result in 453,000 cases per year, with 29,300 associated deaths. The new finding from the University of Virginia School of Medicine explains why certain patients are highly susceptible to C. diff infections, provides doctors with a way to predict disease severity and points to a new way to treat the often-deadly condition. [Read more]