Clostridium difficile bacteremia, Taiwan

Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Aug;16(8):1204-10. doi: 10.3201/eid1608.100064.

Abstract

To determine clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with Clostridium difficile bacteremia (CDB), we identified 12 patients with CDB in 2 medical centers in Taiwan; all had underlying systemic diseases. Five had gastrointestinal diseases or conditions, including pseudomembranous colitis (2 patients); 4 recalled diarrhea, but only 5 had recent exposure to antimicrobial drugs. Ten available isolates were susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin. Five isolates had C. difficile toxin A or B. Of 5 patients who died, 3 died of CDB. Of 8 patients treated with metronidazole or vancomycin, only 1 died, and all 4 patients treated with other drugs died (12.5% vs. 100%; p = 0.01). C. difficile bacteremia, although uncommon, is thus associated with substaintial illness and death rates.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacteremia / drug therapy
  • Bacteremia / microbiology*
  • Child
  • Clostridioides difficile / drug effects
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / drug therapy
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / microbiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metronidazole / pharmacology
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Taiwan
  • Vancomycin / pharmacology
  • Vancomycin / therapeutic use
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Metronidazole
  • Vancomycin