C. Difficile And Antibiotics Not Necessarily Linked, Study Finds

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Published at: www.sciencedaily.com

C. difficile infection not neccesarily related to antibiotics.

October 13, 2008

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

The key point in this article is that the author shows a connection between Community Acquired clostridium difficile infections & lack of antimicrobial use. For example, the widespread use of ant-acids ie; proton pump inhibitors. This article is helpful because delineating some of the risk factors may help curb this deadly disease. However, make no mistake there is a very clear link between hospital or nosocomial transmission & antibiotic use. All patients with diarrhea requiring hospital admission (especially with a profoundly elevated white blood cell count) should be tested for C. difficile.

Misleading Headline

October 13, 2008

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

The headline is misleading. C. Dif. diarrhea is well established consequence of antibiotics induced imbalance in the colon. The cited study did not disprove that. What the study actually showed that C. Dif. diarrhea can be also induced by other, unknown so far, factors as well as by antibiotics.

C. difficile not linked to antibiotics will change how I order stool studies

October 13, 2008

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

C. difficile is only linked to antibiotic use about half the time.  In addition c. difficile can complicate IBS more that previously thought.  This may be why antibiotics that cover c. difficile have been useful in treating irritable bowel syndrome.  

When Your Neighbor Takes an Antibiotic, So Do You

October 13, 2008

Analysis by: GLG Expert Contributor

This study did not conclude that antibiotic use does not precipitate C. difficile infections.  What it found was that the individuals who are infected with C. diff did not necessarily take antibiotics in the six weeks preceding their infection.  In my mind, rather than demonstrating that C. diff is not necessarily antibiotic-related, it suggests two things that we sort of already knew: 1) the C. diff problem is so bad that individuals not treated with antibiotics are still at some risk for the disease if their community contacts have been exposed; and 2) in many cases of C. diff, there is not a neat and immediate connection between administration of antibiotics and development of symptoms -- a person can take antibiotics and not become symptomatic from C. diff infection for several weeks or months.