Final answer:
The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria, allowing Clostridium difficile to overgrow and cause infection. Treatment options include specific antibiotics and, in some cases, fecal transplants or probiotics to restore natural gut flora.
Step-by-step explanation:
The link between antibiotics and Clostridium difficile infection is that antibiotics can disrupt the natural balance of gut microbiota by killing not only disease-causing bacteria but also beneficial bacteria that protect the body from infections. When the beneficial bacteria are depleted, C. difficile, which is naturally resistant to many antibiotics, can overgrow and cause infection. This disruption can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a symptom of C. difficile infection, which is a significant concern in healthcare settings due to the bacterium's ability to form endospores and its associations with various severe gastrointestinal conditions.
Treatment for C. difficile infection can include the use of specific antibiotics, such as metronidazole or vancomycin, but in some cases where these are ineffective, a fecal transplant from a healthy donor may be used to restore the natural intestinal flora. Probiotics may also help in reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea and aiding in the restoration of the normal microbial community in the gut.