What is Clostridium difficile and why is a Clostridium difficile infection so difficult to treat?

Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterial species of the genus Clostridium. It is a pathogen to humans and cause antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Clostridium difficile infection so difficult to treat because it can form spores in the intestine which provide them resistance from the antibiotic that is used against it.

In normal condition, normal flora of gut do not allow the spore to germinate in the gut but when antibiotics are taken for any infection like urinary tract infection the gut microflora decreases.

So this decrease in gut microflora allows the spores of Clostridium difficile to germinate and cause antibiotic-associated diarrhea. So Clostridium difficile infection is difficult to treat because of its ability to form spores that protect it from antibiotics.