Antibiotic Resistance Is Making This Dangerous Gut Bacterium Even Harder To Kill

An antibiotic resistance gene helps a dangerous gut bacterium build tougher spores that can survive hospital disinfectants. A hospital surface can be disinfected and still harbor dormant spores of Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea that can be deadly for already sick patients. Researchers have now found that an antibiotic resistance gene can help C. difficile build spores that are even more resistant to common disinfectants.