The Clostridium difficile bacterium is a strictly anaerobic, spore-forming bacillus. It is present as normal flora in the intestine in 3% of healthy adults.1 It forms spores for protection in inhospitable environments. When the spore finds the right environmental factors it develops into the bacterium. Spores can survive on surfaces for months waiting for the right environment to grow and thrive. It is Gram positive, so it appears blue or purple when stained with Gram, and has a thick peptidoglycan cell wall. It produces toxin A, an enterotoxin that causes fluid buildup, and toxin B, a cytotoxin that causes cell loss of structure and death. Clostridium difficile has an incubation period of a week to a month.1 So it may take a long time to realize you have it, and you may have already passed it on to someone else. The infection rate is higher in women and in people 85 years of age and older.1 Clostridium difficile infection often causes a disease known as pseudomembranous colitis. It is an inflammation of the intestine caused by toxins A and B. Cell death and fluid accumulation stimulate the release of histamine and this causes inflammation. It is characterized by foul-smelling diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. Complications that may occur include dehydration due to loss of water and electrolytes caused by excessive diarrhea, toxic megacolon, and, in extreme cases, death.2 Clostridium difficile infection usually occurs in people treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Antibiotics kill all the normal flora in the gut, leaving no bacteria that can compete with C. difficile. It is therefore able to colonize and proliferate. It releases toxin A and toxin B. Toxin A is a... middle of paper... of the normal flora in the gut, causing increased competition for space making it difficult for C. difficile to proliferate. The intestine is brought back to homeostasis. The risk of problems associated with the use of antimicrobials, such as the development of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, is reduced or completely eliminated with the use of fecal transplantation, making it an effective treatment for Clostridium difficile infection.2References1. Headley C. Fatal diarrhea: Clostridium difficile infection. Nephrology Nursing Journal: Journal Of The American Nephrology Nurses' Association [Internet serial]. (2012, November), [cited March 18, 2014]; 39(6): 459-468.2. Lofland D, Josephat F, Partin S. Fecal transplant for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Clinical Laboratory Science [Internet serial]. (2013, July), [cited March 18, 2014]; 26(3): 131-135.