Your 80 year old patient reports diarrhea, fever, and smelly stools. She recently completed a course of antibiotic therapy for a UTI. The lab isolates an endospore forming, gram-positive, anaerobe. Identify the likely pathogen.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is the correct answer because it is an endospore-forming, gram-positive anaerobe that commonly causes diarrhea following antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics can disrupt the normal gut flora, allowing C. difficile to overgrow and produce toxins, leading to symptoms described in the patient.

Your 80 Year Old Patient Reports Diarrhea, Fever, and Smelly