Intestinal superinfections in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
BACKGROUND
Intestinal superinfections may occur in the setting of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), complicating the clinical picture and triggering flares of disease.


OBJECTIVE
To report our experience with intestinal superinfections in IBD patients over a three-year period.


METHODS
Charts of patients hospitalized for moderate-to-severe active disease during the observation period were reviewed, and data of patients with flares due to infections collected and analyzed.


RESULTS
Overall, 15 out of 113 IBD patients (13.3%) had flare-ups related to intestinal infections; 143 acute flare-ups were thus documented, with 17 episodes (12%) related to infective agents, represented by Campylobacter jejuni (3 infections), Clostridium difficile (7 infections), and Cytomegalovirus (7 infections). All but two infections occurred in ulcerative colitis patients, and all responded to appropriate treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Intestinal superinfections may complicate the clinical picture of IBD patients, increasing the diagnostic and therapeutic burden. Appropriate early diagnostic and therapeutic measures are thus needed in these patients.
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
Elisabetta
E
Antonelli
Monia
M
Baldoni
Paolo
P
Giovenali
Vincenzo
V
Villanacci
Murad
M
Essatari
Gabrio
G
Bassotti
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni; D016360:Clostridioides difficile; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015163:Superinfection / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult