Inflammation may contribute to the persistence of C. diff infection, shows study A new study from North Carolina State University shows that the inflammation caused by Clostridioides difficile ( C. diff) infection gives the pathogen a two-fold advantage: by both creating an inhospitable environment for competing bacteria and providing nutrients that enable C. diff to thrive. C. diff is a bacterium that causes diarrhea, often with severe or even fatal consequences. As part of its growth cycle, C. diff produces two toxins that cause inflammation and damage the lining of the gut. " C. diff thrives when other microbes in the gut are absent - which is why it is more prevalent following antibiotic therapy," says Casey Theriot, associate professor of infectious disease at NC State and corresponding author of the research.