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Lack of relationship of Clostridium difficile to antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children
Insights
Oral antibiotics for common childhood infections did not increase Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) colonization in stool. C. difficile presence in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a significant cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
- Understanding C. difficile colonization in children receiving oral antibiotics is crucial for managing infections and preventing complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate the conversion rate of stool cultures to Clostridium difficile-positive in children treated with oral antibiotics.
- To investigate the association between C. difficile colonization and the development of diarrhea during antibiotic therapy in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 31 children receiving oral antibiotics for common infections.
- Stool cultures were analyzed for C. difficile before and after antibiotic treatment.
- Correlation between C. difficile presence and occurrence of diarrhea was assessed.
Main Results:
- Pretreatment C. difficile colonization was observed in 35% of children, predominantly in infants under one year.
- Post-antibiotic treatment, C. difficile was cultured from 42% of children's stools.
- Eleven children developed diarrhea; 7 had positive C. difficile cultures, while 4 had negative cultures.
Conclusions:
- Oral antibiotic use for common infections in healthy children does not significantly increase C. difficile stool colonization.
- The presence of C. difficile in stools of these children is not significantly associated with antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Abstract:
We studied prospectively the conversion rate to Clostridium difficile-positive stool cultures in 31 children receiving oral antibiotics for common infections and looked for a possible association of C. difficile colonization with diarrhea. The incidence of pretreatment positive stool cultures was 35% with the majority of positive findings in infants less than 1 year of age. After treatment with oral antibiotics C. difficile was cultured from the stool of 42% of the children. Eleven children developed diarrhea during antibiotic therapy. Seven of these children had at least one stool culture positive for C. difficile and four had persistently negative cultures. Oral antibiotic treatment of common infections in otherwise healthy children does not appear to predispose to stool colonization with C. difficile, nor is the presence of C. difficile in stools in these children significantly associated with the onset of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.