title: Clostridium difficile and pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective, comparative, multicenter, ESPGHAN study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clostridium difficile infection is associated with pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in several ways. We sought to investigate C. difficile infection in pediatric patients with IBD in comparison with a group of children with celiac disease and to evaluate IBD disease course of C. difficile infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective, comparative, multicenter study, 211 pediatric patients with IBD were enrolled from October 2010 to October 2011 and tested for the presence of C. difficile toxins A and B in their stools at 0, 6, and 12 months. During the same study period, stool specimens for C. difficile toxins analysis were collected from 112 children with celiac disease as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clostridium difficile occurrence was significantly higher in patients with IBD compared with patients with celiac disease (7.5% versus 0.8%; P = 0.008). Clostridium difficile was associated with active disease in 71.4% of patients with IBD (P = 0.01). Colonic involvement was found in 85.7% of patients with C. difficile. Antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, hospitalization, and IBD therapies were not associated with increased C. difficile detection. At 12 months, a higher number of C. difficile-positive patients at the enrollment started immunosuppressant/biological therapy compared with patients without C. difficile (P = 0.01). At 6 and 12 months, patients with C. difficile were more frequently in active disease than patients without C. difficile (P = 0.04; P = 0.08, respectively). Hospitalizations were higher at 6 months in C. difficile group (P = 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, this study demonstrates that pediatric IBD is associated with increased C. difficile detection. Patients with C. difficile tend to have active colonic disease and a more severe disease course.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples "Federico II," Naples, Italy; †First Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Europe; ‡Department of Pediatrics, Hvidovre University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; §Referral Center for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; ‖Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome "La Sapienza," Rome, Italy; ¶Pediatric IBD Unit, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain; **Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Wolfson Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; ††Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; and ‡‡Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Pathology "Luigi Califano", University of Naples "Federico II," Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strisciuglio
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Veres
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paerregaard
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pavic
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aloi
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martín-de-Carpi
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Mariassunta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Pezzo
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Staiano
authors.forename: Erasmo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors