Once your body is colonized with C. diff, you can remain colonized for several months. Colonization is more common than C. diff infection and does not require treatment.

What does it mean if C. diff is colonized?

We define “C. difficile colonization” as the detection of the organism in the absence of CDI symptoms and “C. difficile infection” as the presence of C. difficile toxin (ideally) or a toxigenic strain type and clinical manifestations of CDI (Fig. 1).

Are people colonized with C. diff?

Asymptomatic colonization with C. difficile is common and a high prevalence has been found in specific cohorts, e.g., hospitalized patients, adults in nursing homes and in infants. However, the risk of infection with C. difficile differs significantly between these cohorts.