IS THIS THE REAL CAUSE OF COVID DEATHS C. DIFF INFECTIONS?

[Rinse & rePeat]

“The incidence of several inflammatory diseases, for example Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the intestine, has been increasing during the last 50 years in the industrialized countries, and at the same time, the incidence of several liver diseases has also been increasing.

The entry of bacteria into the blood stream, which can lead to septicemia, is ordinarily considered to be of importance only in extreme immunodeficiency states, such as old age or in premature infants, but the death rate of young adults from septicemia has been increasing rapidly since the 1940s.

The permeability of the intestine that allows bacteria to enter the blood stream is very serious if the phagocytic cells are weakened. Carrageenan poisoning is one known cause of the disappearance of macrophages. Its powerful immunosuppression would tend to be superimposed onto the immunological damage that has been produced by radiation, unsaturated fats, and estrogens.“ -Ray Peat

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“Rosemary is particularly powerful against bacterial infections, especially those in the stomach such as the H. pylori bacteria which is a common and extremely dangerous pathogen that can cause stomach ulcers. Rosemary has been shown to counter and prevent its growth when consumed.”

“Similarly, rosemary is linked with prevention of Staph infections, which kill thousands of people each and every year.“

Rosemary Benefits And Its Side Effects | Lybrate

<p>Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region and reason it not only has a wonderful warm taste and aroma, but also an abundance of beneficial health effects if ad...

www.lybrate.com

 

[facesavant]

I have been reading about Clostridium Difficile because my husband has been diagnosed with it today. It is a "super bug" bacterial infection with a high mortality rate. The doctor said he got it from his last hospital visit for a spinal compression fracture. This is some scary stuff, but it is also suggested that it is under reported in Covid patients deaths. This is such a shocker to me in more ways than one!

"The dearth of studies regarding secondary infections, such as Clostridioides difficile, in COVID-19 patients makes it difficult to measure the effect of the pandemic on antimicrobial stewardship programs and on long term antimicrobial resistance. While increased awareness regarding personal hygiene and extensive use of protective equipment may lead to reductions of healthcare associated infections, the challenge of strictly isolating and managing COVID-19 patients in many healthcare systems, often in proximity to patients colonized with C. difficile, and the inevitable higher workload imposed on healthcare staff could lead to additional hospital transmissions. The increased use of antibiotics to treat COVID-19 may, inadvertently, have resulted in an under-reporting of C. difficile infection. Actually, Spigaglia (2020) has published an article expressing her opinion about the COVID-19 and the impact in elderly patients, who will probably become more susceptible to CDI. The author also demonstrates her concern about the low number of bacterial infections cases related to patients with Sars-Cov-2. To ensure appropriate treatment and to improve patient outcome, increased vigilance and improved diagnosis are both necessary. Given that future emerging viral diseases are highly likely, we would urge increased awareness of the issue and call for informed debate around how to implement effective measures to meet these challenges.

In conclusion, it seems highly likely that cases of CDI are being under-reported among COVID-19 patients and the increased use of antibiotics may, in part, be responsible."

Frontiers | Should We Be Worried About Clostridioides difficile During the SARS-CoV2 Pandemic?

www.frontiersin.org

"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we practice medicine and lead our lives. In addition to pulmonary symptoms; COVID-19 as a syndrome has multisystemic involvement including frequent gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. Due to microbiome alterations with COVID-19 and frequent antibiotic exposure, COVID-19 can be complicated by Clostridioides difficile infection. Co-infection with these two can be associated with a high risk of complications."

https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/fmb-2020-0275

"Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as a major health care–associated infection; incidence, hospitalizations, and mortality rates are increasing (1,2). Reported case-fatality rates are 6%–30% and seem to be rising."

Determining Mortality Rates Attributable to Clostridium difficile Infection

To determine accuracy of measures of deaths attributable to Clostridium difficile infection, we compared 3 measures for 2007–2008 in Ontario, Canada: death certificate; death within 30 days of infection; and panel review. Data on death within ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I learned from a highwire interview IS THE COVID VACCINE KILLING YOUR GUT BIOME? then I went to her website ProgenaBiome and found that they are doing clinical trials. Your husband might be interested. I hope it will help. Take care!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I learned from a highwire interview IS THE COVID VACCINE KILLING YOUR GUT BIOME? then I went to her website ProgenaBiome and found that they are doing clinical trials. Your husband might be interested. I hope it will help. Take care!

My husband never got Covid, he died though from a bacterial infection that he got from the hospital. He got C.diff, and when the antibiotics didn’t work he went in and ultimately got staff and pneumonia there as well. Thank you for thinking of him though.

 

[facesavant]

My husband never got Covid, he died though from a bacterial infection that he got from the hospital. He got C.diff, and when the antibiotics didn’t work he went in and ultimately got staff and pneumonia there as well. Thank you for thinking of him though.

OMG I'm so so sorry! That is terrible.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

OMG I'm so so sorry! That is terrible.

It is. Thank you for your care @facesavant.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“By applying machine learning to medical record data, scientists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found that secondary bacterial pneumonia that does not resolve was a key driver of death in patients with COVID-19, results published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Bacterial infections may even exceed death rates from the viral infection itself, according to the findings. The scientists also found evidence that COVID-19 does not cause a “cytokine storm,” so often believed to cause death.”

Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Drove Many COVID-19 Deaths - News Center

Secondary bacterial pneumonia that did not resolve was a key driver of death in patients with COVID-19, according to a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

news.feinberg.northwestern.edu

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“A total of 1384 admitted patients with available cultures were assessed. Of these, 642 had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (59.2% males, median age 68 (interquartile range (IQR) 53–78)), while 742 had a confirmed influenza infection (47% males, median age 67 (IQR 43–78)). Patients’ clinical and demographic characteristics are shown in Table 1. Laboratory tests known to correlate with inflammation were more severe among COVID-19 patients compared to influenza patients, specifically, maximal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (median 13.41 (IQR (6.22–24.94) vs.7.05 (3.3–15.4), p < 0.001), maximal ferritin level (743.35 (330.7–1600.5) vs. 190.20 (61.2–351.4), p < 0.001) and minimal albumin levels (3.00 (2.5- 3.5) vs. 3.5 (3.10- 4.00) p < 0.001). In accordance with this, hospitalization length (in days) was longer among COVID-19 compared to influenza patients (7.00 (3.00–14.75) vs. 4.00 (2.00–7.00), p < 0.001). Furthermore, COVID-19 patients had profoundly higher intubation (19.2% vs. 4.4%, p < 0.001) and death rates (26.3% vs. 7.0%, p < 0.001).“

Secondary bacterial infection in COVID-19 patients is a stronger predictor for death compared to influenza patients - Scientific Reports

Secondary bacterial infections are a potentially fatal complication of influenza infection. We aimed to define the impact of secondary bacterial infections on the clinical course and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients by comparison with influenza patients. COVID-19...

www.nature.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“The overall mortality rate in patients with C. difficile infection was higher than that observed in patients without diarrhea and patients with C. difficile-negative AAD. There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to the proportion of patients who died in the first 20 days of COVID-19 infection. However, among patients who died after the 20th day of illness, those with C. difficile infection accounted for more than half.”

Clostridioides difficile co-infection in patients with COVID-19

Aim: To assess the impact of Clostridioides difficile infection on the course of COVID-19. Methods: The authors included 809 patients with COVID-19 in this retrospective study: 55 had C. difficile infection, 23 had C. difficile-negative antibiotic-associated ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections with significant morbidity and mortality. CDI is associated with 15,000–30,000 deaths annuallyin the United States and acute inpatient costs exceeding $4.8 billion. C.”

Epidemiology of community-acquired and recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection

Clostridioides difficile infection is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections with significant morbidity and mortality. For the past decade, the bulk of infection prevention and epidemiologic surveillance efforts have been directed toward ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[ddjd]

“Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. In other words, it’s your body’s overactive and toxic response to an infection. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. Sepsis can lead to severe sepsis and septic shock.

You may have heard the term “blood poisoning” used instead of sepsis. Blood poisoning is not an accurate description of sepsis. You can learn more about sepsis and blood poisoning here.

Your immune system usually works to fight any germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites) to prevent infection. If an infection does occur, your immune system will try to fight it, although you may need help with medication such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. However, for reasons researchers don’t understand, sometimes the immune system stops fighting the “invaders,” and begins to turn on itself. This is the start of sepsis.

Some people are at higher risk of developing sepsis because they are at higher risk of contracting an infection. These include the very young (infants), the very old, those with chronic illnesses, and those with a weakened or impaired immune system.”

What Is Sepsis

Sepsis and septic shock is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection that can lead to death.

www.sepsis.org

https://x.com/MakisMD/status/1704391725526196515?s=20

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

C Difficile Advice For A Friend

Hi folks, A buddy of mine has contracted C Difficile. He has definitely been on a westernized/industrial diet probably his whole life. More than offering him a landslide of advice, I wanted to check here and see if anyone had any suggestions or know of any treatments that seemed to be...

raypeatforum.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“Sepsis is the number one killer of hospitalized patients, so finding a way to reduce its lethality is perhaps one of the most important goals of clinical medicine.
This new study below shows that baking soda, in physiological concentrations, not enhances the effects of antibiotics (thus reducing needed dose) but also somehow interferes with the bacteria's ability to produce energy (which makes them even more vulnerable to antibiotics). Notably, the effects of baking soda were NOT related to pH change, as that was purposefully kept stable. In addition, baking soda was found to be innately antibacterial, even without the presence of antibiotics. Furthermore, it was the bicarbonate ion that was responsible for all of these effects, not sodium or other metal salts tested.
I wonder if the effects of thiamine in sepsis are not due to a similar mechanism or the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase, which has effects on bicarbonate levels. I suspect combining bicarbonate and thiamine would be even more effective. So, maybe orange juice with baking soda and some thiamine could become a good home remedy for (subclinical) endotoxin overload.“

Baking Soda Dramatically Increases Antibiotic Effectiveness, Could Help In Sepsis

Recently we posted some studies showing that thiamine (by itself or vitamin C) dramatically increases survival in sepsis, and lowers its severity. IV B1+Vit. C+ Cortisone Prevents Septic Induced Death Sepsis is the number one killer of hospitalized patients, so finding a way to reduce its...

raypeatforum.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

”Ray has spoken many times about the role of low vitamin D in chronic inflammatory conditions including IBD and this study seems to confirm his position. Yet another reason to ensure optimal levels, which seems to be in the 50 - 60 range. And whoever is using PPI may want to consider switching to the safer H2 antagonists like famotidine. The link between PPI and gut infection/inflammation is really scary as these drugs are commonly prescribed to pretty much everybody who endures a hospital stay and most people acquire C. difficile infection at a hospital.
Hey, @aguilaroja you may want to take a look at this as it is another black mark for the PPI drugs.

Intestinal calcium and bile salts facilitate germination of Clostridium difficile spores
‘Superbug’ may depend on calcium to multiply

"...Clostridium difficile (known as “C. diff”) bacterial infections are commonplace in hospitals and nursing homes. C. diff is responsible for large numbers of deaths every year and is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea."

"...The researchers suggested that individuals with high gut levels of calcium could be at higher risk for C. diff infection. High intestinal calcium may be the result of supplementation, poor absorption resulting from low vitamin D status, medication use (including Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)), or gut diseases such as Crohn’s or colitis. The researchers noted that all the individual elements above are established risk factors for C. diff infection and critically, that “deficient intestinal calcium absorption (i.e., increased calcium levels) is associated with these risk factors.” However, Hanna advocates caution to patients considering ceasing medications or doctor–recommended supplements (or starting new ones). Nevertheless, avoiding excess calcium and ensuring adequate vitamin D status appear prudent in the light of the findings. The discovery that calcium germinates C. diff spores is also significant; as the amino acid, glycine was previously thought necessary to the process. This study demonstrated that spore germination could occur without glycine. Travis Kochan, a graduate student in the research team, observed that the liquid used for growing C. diff for their studies contained calcium. When he chemically removed calcium from the growth medium, spore germination ceased. FDA researchers subsequently conducted further research in mice using C. diff spores modified to prevent glycine acting upon them. As spore germination still occurred without glycine, this demonstrated that calcium was the critical trigger."”

C. Difficile Gut Infection Or Even IBD May Be Due To Low Vitamin D Or PPI Drugs

As the study says, the direct cause is high intestinal levels of calcium but as the study also says these are usually due to poor calcium absorption. And unless a person has IBD (which is rare) the low vitamin D status or PPI drug (GERD) use stand out as the most likely causes, even more so...

raypeatforum.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Just wanted to everyone know that I am creating my own site where all my “Peaty” recipes will be well organized. I hope to see you there when I get some content in. Leave me a message at the email address below so I can put you on my mailing list and contact you when it is ready to go!

My website is: www.raymendeat.com

Ray_Mend_Eat

Email me at [email protected]

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“When stress is very intense, as in trauma or sepsis, the reaction of liberating fatty acids can become dangerously counter-productive, producing the state of shock. In shock, the liberation of free fatty acids interferes with the use of glucose for energy and causes cells to take up water and calcium (depleting blood volume and reducing circulation) and to leak ATP, enzymes, and other cell contents (Boudreault and Grygorczyk, 2008; Wolfe, et al., 1983; Selzner, et al, 2004; van der Wijk, 2003), in something like a systemic inflammatory state (Fabiano, et al., 2008) often leading to death.” -Ray Peat