Clostridium difficile infection is the #1 cause of hospital-associated diarrhea. It can cause serious illness for patients, and can even cause death. C.difficilebacteriacantransformintosporesthat can survive outside the body on environmental surfaces for months. Spores can travel from the environment to patients or from patient to patient to healthcare worker hands. C. difficile is difficult to kill. Rooms and equipment that have been in contact with C. difficile patients must be cleaned with bleach. Ordinary cleaning agents do not kill the spores. C. difficile is also resistant to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. With C. difficile patients, hands must be washed with SOAP and WATER, before and after patient contact. Special Contact Precautions must also be Observed.