A Bleach-Impervious 'Superbug'

Clostridium difficile is part of the human gut flora, normally living harmoniously with other bacteria in our large intestines. When, however, that gut flora is disrupted (after, for example, antibiotic treatment), C. difficile can cause diarrhoea or colitis. These infections often occur in care settings (like hospitals) and are common in folk with weakened immune systems. Hospitals were advised to clean with specified concentrations of sodium hypochlorite bleach to kill C. difficile (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/nov/22/bleach-does-not-tackle-fatal-hospital-superbug-uk-researchers-find). Plymouth University researchers have now shown that such chlorine bleaches are no more effective than water in terms of their killing C. difficile spores. Clearly, more effective cleaning procedures must be specified for hospitals and care homes.