1.Compare the modes of transmission of giardia vs C. difficile? 2. How may C. difficile infections be prevented? (see resource links USA Today article and Cincinnati hospital link) resources: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-16/deadly-bacteria-hospital- infections/57079514/1 Bailey Quishenberry’s C. Diff Journey http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-16/cincinnati-hospital-clostridium- difficile/57079520/1 Hospital Successfully Battles C. Diff http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2010-12-14-Last-ditch-method-at-fighting- intestinal-superbug---_N.htm (takes a while to load so maybe copy and paste link) Last Ditch Method of Fighting Intestinal Superbug Solution 1. Giardia and C. difficlie are different types of organisms. Giardia is a water-borne protozoa, and is primarily contracted due to ingesting or coming in contact with contaminated food, water or feces of an infected carrier, usually in unsanitary conditions. C.difficile is spread through it\'s bacterial spores, and the primary source of transmission of this bacterium is nosocomical (hospital acquired infection), but the path is similar to that of Giardia, that is the fecal-oral route. The site of transmission is the major difference between the two as the mode of transmission between the two is largely the same. 2. C. diff is normally found in the digestive system, but is a poor competitor and is thus often outnumbered by other bacteria in the normal human gut flora. But in a hospital setting where patients take antibiotics, the normal gut flora is disrupted and the gut becomes a breeding ground for any bacteria which can survive. C. diff is both antibiotic resistant and spore-forming, which causes it to survive antibiotic use and increase in number as competition decreases. C. diff can be managed by reducing use of antibiotics wherever possible, using disinfectants which are effective against C. diff such as chlorine bleach, and in case of a possible infection, using the gut flora from the same patient extracted at an earlier time to restore the balance of bacteria in the gut..