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Overuse
of antibiotics could raise intestinal disorders as they kill
useful bacteria from the body, says a study that found such
infection in 16 states of the US.
The infection - C. difficile - often strikes older hospital
patients treated with antibiotics, reported news portal NorthJersey.com.
C. difficile causes severe diarrhoea and other potentially
life-threatening complications. But scientists say it has
also begun spreading among people of all ages even who have
not been hospitalised or used antibiotics
"The widespread use of antibiotics, particularly their
inappropriate use, has contributed to the increased incidence
of C. difficile," the researchers said. "It's important
that people do not take them unnecessarily or demand them
from doctors."
The disorder is usually treated with other antibiotics such
as vancomycin and metronidazole. But antibiotic-resistant
strains have been identified. h
"This is very much in the forefront of epidemiology
right now," said Cristina Cicogna of Hackensack University
Medical Center at New Jersey.
In New Jersey, the germ has killed over 400 people since
1997. In 2004, there were 25 known outbreaks in hospitals
of the region.
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
the infection has so far been reported in 16 US states, including
New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
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