Researcher Information
Sharoni Michal
sharonim@mit.edu (123) 456-7890
The information provided below is for MIT researchers' use and is subject to change by EHS. For our legal disclaimer please see - http://ehs.mit.edu/site/content/legal-disclaimer
Agent Characteristics
Clostridioides difficile
         
Clostridioides difficile (or Clostridium difficile) is a motile, anaerobic, and spore-forming Gram-positive bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and colitis.
HumansSwineBovine
Cut/ Needlestick / Non-intact skinIngestionMucous Membranesspores
Dose- unknown. Incubation time- Most commonly 5-10 days, but can range from 1 day to several weeks.
Health Hazards
Watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and cramping, low-grade fever, nausea, and lack of appetite. This can lead to severe colitis (infection of the entire bowel) Special note: most normal gut flora contains clostridium difficile as part of its normal gut flora. After the use of antibiotics (typically fluoroquinolones [clindamycin], cephalosporins, and penicillin) the normal gut flora is disrupted, and there is an opportunity for c. diff. to grow and thrive.
None available
None available
Supportive care with attention to electrolyte balance. Infection control (hand washing with water - not hand sanitizer is required) and appropriate PPE. Antibiotics include fidaxomicin, vancomycin, metronidazole
Containment
BSL 2
ABSL2
Viability
20% household bleach (~1% sodium hypochlorite)hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid (Peridox)Spores may be resistant to disinfectantsFresh 2% glutaraldehyde (Gluterate / CIDEX)
Most spores can be inactivated by moist heat at 121°C for 15-30 minutes.
Spores can survive in the environment for months to years.
PPE/Containment
Wear gloves, lab coat, and appropriate lab attire (pants/long dress, closed toed shoes); eye protection, e.g. safety glasses, safety goggles recommended for liquids. Additional PPE may be required depending on lab specific SOPs for handling Clostridioides difficile.
Biosafety cabinet recommended for procedures that can generate aerosols or splashes, Minimize use of sharps
Spill Procedures
Notify others working in the lab.  Allow aerosols to settle. Don appropriate PPE.  Cover area of the spill with paper towels and apply an EPA approved disinfectant, working from the perimeter towards the center.  Allow 10 minutes of contact time. Cleanup spill materials and dispose as biowaste. Surface disinfect 5-10 minutes. Remove PPE and wash hands.
For large volume spills or biological spills in a public area, contact MIT's Biosafety Program or the EHS office (617-452-3477) during normal business hours.  If the spill occurs after hours or on weekends, activate the EHS ON CALL system by dialing Operations 3-4948 (617-253-4948) or MIT Police by dialing 100 from a campus phone or 617-253-1212 from a mobile phone.
Exposure Procedures
Flush eyes, mouth, or nose for 15 minutes at eyewash station.
Wash area with soap and water and rinse/scrub for 5-10 minutes.
Immediately report incident to supervisor, PI, or EHS Representative. PI/supervisor must submit incident report in Atlas within 24 hours.
Medical Follow-up
9:00am-4:00pm, weekdays:
contact MIT Occupational Health:
Phone: 617-253-8552
Address: 25 Carleton Street, Building E23, Cambridge, MA 02142
website		 8:00am-8:00pm, weekdays
10:00am-4:00pm, weekends
MIT Health Urgent Care
phone: 617-253-1311
address: 25 Carleton Street, Building E23, Cambridge, MA 02142
Or call MIT Police 617-253-1212		 Emergencies:
Call 100 from a campus phone or
617-253-1212 from a mobile phone
Additional comments
References
Created on June  6, 2022 at  2:48 PM (EDT). Last updated by Zhong, Lu on Nov. 19, 2025 at  5:28 PM (EST). Owned by Marketon, Melanie.
Melanie Marketon
Lu Zhong
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When you bring additional fields into a conversion, Quickbase often finds inconsistencies. For example, say you're converting your Companies column into its own table. One company, Acme Corporation, has offices in New York, Dallas and Portland. So, when you add the City column to the conversion, Quickbase finds three different locations for Acme. A single value in the column you're converting can only match one value in any additional field. Quickbase needs you to clean up the extra cities before it can create your new table. To do so, you have one of two choices:

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