Being in a hospital area previously occupied by someone with a Clostridium difficile infection increases infection risk, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality website.
A recent study analyzed patient encounters in a health system from 2013 through 2015.
The researchers classified a patient as "exposed to C. diff" if they were in an area that had been occupied by a patient with C. diff within 24 hours.
The study shows that exposure to C. diff in the emergency room was connected with the development of the infection.