New Study Finds C. diff Infections on the Rise

May 24, 2012 - PRLog -- According to a new study, presented during Digestive Disease Week 2012, cases of Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, are increasing in the United States. The Mayo Clinic study found that the number of infections from 2004 to 2009 were twelve times higher in children then from 1991 to 1997. Among these cases, 75% were not contracted during a hospital stay.

Until recently, C. diff infection was associated with older people in hospitals, or with individuals who had been taking antibiotics for a prolonged period of time. However, as the study shows, it is now also a concern among younger, healthier people, outside of hospitals.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of C. diff infection include diarrhea and abdominal cramping. If the infection becomes severe symptoms could escalate to include dehydration, fever, bloody stools, and weight loss. Infection can be avoided by regularly washing your hands with soap and water and disinfecting surfaces with bleach.

“EMSL Analytical’s microbiology laboratory provides reliable bacteria testing services, such as C. diff analysis, using validated testing methodologies,” states Diane Miskowski, MPH, Business Development Manager at EMSL. “We offer a variety of turnaround times at competitive prices.”

For more information about EMSL’s bacteria testing services, visit www.EMSL.com, call 1-800-220-3675 or e-mail info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.