this is a very good question. clostridium difficile (or c. diff) is a highly contagious bacterium that is spread by direct contact. it's important to note that antiseptic hand cleaners are not effective against c. diff. good hand hygiene is extremely important in avoiding the spread of c. diff. if you are providing care for someone with c. diff you should consider wearing protective paper gowns and discarding them after each patient contact. try not to come in contact with any of the patient's feces (though c. diff gets spread onto pretty much all the surfaces a c. diff patient comes in contact with). wash your hands after every contact with a c. diff patient. to wash properly first turn on the water tap and wet your hands. then add soap and work into a vigorous lather. rinse the soap off thoroughly. dry thoroughly. (the drying part is very important because it helps ensure the bacteria don't linger in the wonderful moist skin environment. ) if you maintain good hand hygiene you can help avoid spreading this awful bacteria. hope this helps!
how is c. difficile passed from person to person