Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is the most common causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. This spore-forming, obligate anaerobic, gram-positive bacillus is becoming responsible for an increasing number of infections worldwide, both in community and in hospital settings, whose severity can vary widely from an asymptomatic infection to a lethal disease. While discontinuation of antimicrobial agents and antibiotic treatment of the infection remain the cornerstone of therapy, the use of probiotics, especially Saccharomyces boulardii, and more recently of fecal microbiota transplantation have become valid forms of prevention and/or therapy and are here critically examined.
Keywords: Antibiotic associated diarrhea; Clostridium difficile; Colitis.