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A C difficile two-fer

October 25, 2013 7:00 am

Two recent review articles on Clostridium difficile are quite useful:

• Mezoff EA, Cohen MB. J Pediatr 2013; 163: 627-30.
• Dupont HL. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2013; 11: 1216-23.

The first publication reviews acid suppression and the risk of C difficile infection (CDI).  It starts off with  a terrific piece of advice from Sir William Osler: “One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.”  The authors note that pH above 4 has been shown to increase bacterial survival, including  C perfringe spores in a mouse model.  In addition, the article notes that there have been concerns as early as 1982 that acid suppression could be a risk factor for CDI.  Several recent studies were summarized, including the following:

• A recent meta-analysis (Kwok CS et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2012; 107: 1011-9) with 42 studies (N= 313,000 patients) “found an association between PPI use and risk of CDI (OR1.74, 05%CI 1.47-2.85).”
• A review of the literature (Deshpande A et. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2012; 10: 225-33) between 1990-2010 found an overall increase in CDI risk with PPIs to be OR 2.15 (95% CI 1.81-2.55). No prospective studies were identified.
• In pediatrics, a study (Turco et al. Alimentary Pharmacol Therapeut 2010; 31: 754-9) with 910 children admitted for abdominal pain and diarrhea identified 68 with CDI.  Compared with control patients, use of PPIs was significantly higher in CDI patients (OR 4.52, 95% CI 1.4-14.4).

The FDA has stated that PPIs may be associated with an increased risk of CDI.  In addition, the use of antibiotics “appear to act synergistically with PPIs.”  Thus, the authors recommend stopping PPIs in those who do not need them.  Periodic ‘holidays’ or dosing step-downs may help assess continued need for PPIs.

The second publication succinctly reviews the diagnosis and management of CDI.  The various diagnostic methods are compared in Table 1.  Therapeutic options for 1st time infection are reviewed in Table 2.  For adults with mild-to-moderate infections, metronidazole (500 mg TID for 10 days) is preferred.  Vancomycin or Fidaxomicin are recommended for more severe infections.

Table 3 lists treatment options for recurrent CDI.  Repeat course of any of the 1st round treatments can be considered depending on patient’s illness severity.  In addition, other potential treatments included the following:

• vancomycin tapered dose (week 1: 125 mg 4 times/day, week 2: 125 mg 2 times/day, week 3: 125 mg once/day, week 4: 125 mg every other day, week 5 & 6: 125 mg every third day)
• rifaximin (550 mg BID x 20 days)
• high-dose vancomycin (250-500 mg 4 times/day for 10 days) followed by S boulardii (2 capsules BID for 28 d)
• fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) –“although family member stool donors have been used, the current movement is toward volunteer donor pools.”  [I do not think ‘current movement’ was intended as a pun by the authors.]  Volunteer donors could lower the screening costs.
• intravenous immunoglobulin (small clinical trials have failed to show efficacy)
• monoclonal antibodies to toxins A/B

Related blog posts:

• Precise Identification of C difficile Transmission | gutsandgrowth
• PPI Side Effects: “Dissecting the Evidence” | gutsandgrowth
• FECAL TRANSPLANT -NOW MAINSTREAM | GUTSANDGROWTH
• Clostridium difficile –Current Battlelines | gutsandgrowth
• Test your knowledge of Clostridium difficile | gutsandgrowth
• What’s the best medical therapy for Clostridium … – gutsandgrowth
• Clostridium difficile in IBD | gutsandgrowth

Posted by gutsandgrowth

Categories: Pediatric Gastroenterology Intestinal Disorder

Tags: fecal microbiota transplant, fidaxomicin, metronidazole, PPIs, Proton pump inhibitors, rifaximin, Sacchromyces boulardii, vancomycin

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7 Responses to “A C difficile two-fer”

1. Hi. Just wanted to say a big thank you for your blog. It’s a great way of staying updated. ‘Asante sana’- Kiswahili for ‘thank you’ from a Kenyan peds GI. Ahmed

   By Ahmed Laving on October 25, 2013 at 9:59 am

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