Often C Diff is described as slightly sweet. “C Diff to me smells swampy.” C Diff Smells Sickly Sweet Much like the earlier musty smell, C Diff is often described as smelling like a swamp Death and rotten go together, so perhaps that is where that description comes from. Some have even said that C Diff is diarrhea that smells like death. So if you’ve ever asked “Does c diff smell like rotten eggs,” the answer is yes. For example, some describe the smell of C Diff poop as smelling like rotten eggs. While rotten meat is often the most common “rotten” description, there are others. “I always think “rancid meat” when I smell C Diff.” “It smells like something crawled up there and died…” “I think C Diff smells like a mixture of Texas road kill in the summer plus the dirty feather odor of the vultures that come to strip the edible parts from the rotting carcass.” “I think it smells like road kill on a 100-degree day mixed with silent but deadly flatus.” “To me, it is that rotten chicken meat smell (like when you smell that chicken and go…no way…can’t make this tonight!)” Often C Diff is compared to the smell of meat that has gone off. It does not smell like normal poop it smells like something that has been dead and laying in the hot sun with just a slight tang of poop smell.” C Diff Smells like Rotten Meat “It smells like using an outhouse or J-John during 3 months of 110+ degree temperature days. Many times, the smell of C Diff can be compared to the distinctive smell of an outhouse. While bathrooms never smell good after a bowel movement, anyone who has ever used an outhouse knows that they have a particularly horrible stench. “Moldy…like stale bread…tinged with a little skunk…and allowed to ferment.” C Diff smells like an Outhouse Often nurses state that C Diff smells slightly fermented or moldy. “Nastiest piggy/sour chicken barnyard smell ever.” C Diff smells Moldy “Earthy…almost like the smell of compost…but worse.” “A pig pen or decomposing bodies smell like Chanel No. “I call it that “barnyard” smell, like rotting manure.” One of the other most common descriptions is the smell of manure or a barnyard. It’s very foul and loud, and once you have smelled it, you will never forget it.” “If you walk into a patient’s room after they go to the restroom, and you smell something that makes you want to hurl all the way into next week, then it is safe to suspect your patient has C Diff.” “Absolutely terrible!! Normal feces are bad enough, but C Diff stools are simply revolting.” While not as descriptive, it is universally agreed upon that C Diff smells simply terrible. Here are some of the most common with direct quotes. There are so many ways to describe what C Diff smells like. Here are a few descriptions that experienced nurses have used to describe the unique odor of a C Diff infection. While descriptions of the scent can help, nothing beats real life experience! Many nursing students or new nurses are left wonder what that smell is so that they can try to identify it. The unique scent of C Diff obviously exists and is quite specific to this particular infection. In one Dutch hospital, a two-year-old beagle was trained to smell C Diff and was found to be accurate in 265 out of 270 cases. One of the newest and more entertaining breakthroughs with C Diff detection is the advent of C Diff sniffing dogs. This means that while a nurse’s prediction of a positive C Diff culture may be reliable, it is not based solely on smell alone. In controlled laboratory settings, however, where the nurses were blind to patient characteristics (presence of diarrhea, antibiotic use, etc.) these results were not replicated. Other studies have shown that nurses can accurately identify C Diff stools by odor in up to 84% sensitivity and 77% specificity. Research studies have even been able to identify the volatile organic compounds that are unique to patients with C Diff supporting this theory. Many nurses swear that they can identify patients with C Diff by the smell of their stool alone. Nurses are instrumental in early identification and isolation of infected patients decreasing the risk of transmission to more patients. One of the most significant challenges with C Diff is the delay in detection. It is what is known as a nosocomial infection – an infection obtained while in hospital from infectious spread from other patients (also called a hospital-acquired infection). Frequently Asked C Diff Smell Questions and AnswersĬlostridium Difficile (C Diff) is an intestinal bacterium that has been wreaking havoc in hospitals and infection control departments.Physicians Explain When to Suspect Diarrhea is a Symptom of a Clostridium Difficile Infection.
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