A recent study shows that Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is identified frequently in young children and that approximately three-fourths had recent preceding antibiotics (Pediatrics 2014; 133: 651-58). Abstract link.

Methods: “Data from an active population- and laboratory-based CDI surveillance in 10 US geographic areas during 2010–2011 were used to identify cases.”

Key findings:

• Of 944 pediatric CDI cases identified, 71% were community-acquired
• CDI incidence per 100 000 children was highest among 1-year-olds (66.3)
• Using a representative sample (n=84) who reported diarrhea on the day of stool collection, 73% received antibiotics during the previous 12 weeks.

Despite the frequency of CDI, understanding a couple of key diagnostic pearls is crucial. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Disease policy guideline: (Link to AAP guideline PDF)

• Recommends avoid routine testing in pediatric patients less than 1 year of age due to high carriage rates.
• “Testing for C difficile can be considered in children 1 to 3 years of age with diarrhea, but testing for other causes of diarrhea, particularly viral, is recommended first>
• “A common mistake is to… test for cure. C difficile, its toxins, and genome are shed for long periods after resolution of diarrheal symptoms.”
• “An interval greater than 4 weeks since last testing should be used for testing with a recurrence.”

Bottomline: This most recent study reinforces the notion that about 1/4th of pediatric CDI occurs in the absence of recent antibiotics; nevertheless, understanding the limitations of testing for CDI could prevent a fair amount of aggravation.

Related blog posts:

• A C difficile two-fer | gutsandgrowth
• Trends in Clostridium difficile Infection | gutsandgrowth
• Precise Identification of C difficile Transmission …
• Predicting Severe Clostridium Difficile | gutsandgrowth
• Consensus Guidelines on FMT | gutsandgrowth