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Updated: Oct 28, 2025
Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
[Clostridium difficile infection and its susceptibility factors in children with inflammatory bowel disease]
Wen-Ting Zhang1, Hong-Mei Zhao1, Yan-Hong Luo1
1Department of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha 410007, China.
Insights
Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Severe IBD, glucocorticoid use, and broad-spectrum antibiotics increase CDI risk in pediatric IBD patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects children, increasing their susceptibility to infections.
- Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant concern in immunocompromised or chronically ill patients.
- Understanding CDI risk factors in pediatric IBD is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of CDI in children with IBD compared to non-IBD children.
- To identify factors associated with increased CDI susceptibility in pediatric IBD patients.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study comparing CDI incidence in 62 children with IBD and 42 non-IBD children with diarrhea.
- Subgroup analysis of IBD patients with CDI (n=12) versus without CDI (n=50) to identify risk factors.
- Collection and analysis of clinical data, disease activity indices, and treatment history.
Main Results:
- Children with IBD exhibited a significantly higher CDI incidence rate (19%) compared to the non-IBD group (2%).
- The IBD+CDI group showed longer disease duration, more frequent fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
- Factors associated with CDI in IBD included moderate-to-severe disease, glucocorticoid use, and prolonged broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment (>14 days).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric IBD patients face a heightened risk of developing CDI.
- Severe IBD disease activity, glucocorticoid therapy, and extensive antibiotic use are significant risk factors for CDI in this population.
Objective:
To investigate the incidence rates of Clostridium difficile colonization and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the susceptibility factors for CDI in children with IBD.
Methods:
A total of 62 children diagnosed with IBD were enrolled as the IBD group. Forty-two children who attended the hospital due to persistent or chronic diarrhea and were excluded from IBD were enrolled as the non-IBD group. The incidence rate of CDI was compared between the two groups. According to the presence or absence of CDI, the IBD group was subdivided into two groups:IBD+CDI (n=12) and non-CDI IBD (n=50), and the clinical data were collected from the two groups to analyze the susceptibility factors for CDI.
Results:
The IBD group had a significantly higher incidence rate of CDI[19% (12/62) vs 2% (1/42); P < 0.05] than the non-IBD group (P < 0.05). Compared with the non-CDI IBD group, the IBD+CDI group had a significantly longer disease course (P < 0.05), and a significantly higher proportion of children with fever, diarrhea, or abdominal pain (P < 0.05). The IBD+CDI group had significantly higher activity indices of pediatric Crohn's disease, C-reactive protein levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate than the non-CDI IBD group (P < 0.05). The univariate analysis showed that compared with the non-CDI IBD group, the IBD+CDI group had a significantly higher proportion of children with moderate-to-severe disease, use of glucocorticoids, or treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics for more than 14 days before diagnosis (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The children with IBD have a higher incidence of CDI than those without IBD. Severe disease conditions and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics or glucocorticoids may be associated with an increased incidence of CDI in children with IBD.
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