Enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens infection and pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
OBJECTIVE
Clostridium difficile is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and is the most well known bacterial pathogen associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens has also been detected in up to 15% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases, and it has not been found in healthy people. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of C. perfringens infection in pediatric patients with IBD.


METHODS
This was a prospective, controlled study evaluating pediatric IBD patients in the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in Warsaw, Poland. All of the patients were diagnosed according to the Porto criteria. There were two control groups: (1) non-IBD patients that were suspected for bacterial diarrhea and (2) healthy children. Stool samples were collected on the day of admission. C. perfringens infection diagnosis was based on a positive stool enzyme immunoassay (C. perfringens enterotoxin test kit TechLab).


RESULTS
91 fecal specimens from patients with IBD were collected. The average patient age was 11.7 years in IBD group, 7.4 years in non-IBD patients with diarrhea, and 7.4 years in healthy children. The prevalence of C. perfringens infection was 9% (8/91; CI 95% 4.6-16.4). There were more Crohn's patients (6/8) in the C. perfringens positive group. There was no C. perfringens infection in the two control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our pilot data add evidence to the hypothesis that Clostridia other than C. difficile may play a significant role in the clinical course of IBD. However, further studies are needed to confirm this.
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Aleksandra
A
Banaszkiewicz
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Joanna
J
Kądzielska
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: agnieszka.gawronska@wum.edu.pl.
Agnieszka
A
Gawrońska
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Hanna
H
Pituch
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Piotr
P
Obuch-Woszczatyński
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Piotr
P
Albrecht
Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Grażyna
G
Młynarczyk
Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Radzikowski
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D003016:Clostridium perfringens; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
CPE;; Children;; Crohn's disease;; Enterotoxin; Ulcerative colitis;