Clostridium difficile: a cause of diarrhea in children.

C lostridium difficile is a bacterium that causes inflammation of the part of the intestine called the colon. It is sometimes called C diff for short. These bacteria are found in feces (bowel movement). A major risk factor for getting a C difficile infection is being on antibiotics. People can also become infected by C difficile if they touch an object such as a toy or a surface such as a counter that has feces on it and then touch their mouth or a mucous membrane such as the eye or nose. It is the most common cause of health care–associated diarrhea in the United States. While most health care–associated infections are caused by getting someone else’s infection, C difficile infection is most commonly caused by antibiotic treatment, which changes the bacteria in your intestines.