Overview
- The 18-month-old child died at Catanzaro hospital and four classmates from the same nursery are hospitalized as local authorities opened an inquiry and ordered microbiological tests.
- As of Friday, July 24, officials say Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile is a working hypothesis but laboratory confirmation has not yet been reported.
- Experts note C. difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that spreads by the fecal-oral route and can survive long on surfaces, which raises outbreak risk in communal and healthcare settings.
- Standard treatment uses targeted oral antibiotics with metronidazole for milder infections and vancomycin or fidaxomicin for more severe cases, typically given for at least ten days.
- Health authorities have urged strict handwashing, thorough cleaning of toilets and surfaces, and careful antibiotic stewardship because prior or broad antibiotic use can allow the bacterium to overgrow and produce harmful toxins.