Clostridioides difficile, also known more commonly as C. diff, accounts for 10 to 20% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases, because the antibiotics administered for the treatment of certain disease processes such as inflammatory colitis also inadvertently kill a large portion of the gut flora, the normal flora that is usually present within the bowel. With this lower level of "healthy" bacteria present, the overgrowth of C. diff is then responsible "for elaborating the enterotoxin".[1]
Treatment
Meta-analyses have concluded that probiotics may protect against antibiotic-associated diarrhea in both children and adults.[2][3] Evidence is insufficient, however, regarding an effect on rates of C. difficile colitis.[4]
The efficacy of probiotic AAD prevention is dependent on the probiotic strain(s) used and on the dosage.[5][6] Up to a 50% reduction of AAD occurrences has been found.[7]
References
^ abAllan B. Wolfson, ed. (2005). Harwood-Nuss' Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine (4th ed.). p. 400. ISBN0-7817-5125-X.
^Hempel, S; Newberry, SJ; Maher, AR; Wang, Z; Miles, JN; Shanman, R; Johnsen, B; Shekelle, PG (May 9, 2012). "Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 307 (18): 1959–69. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.3507. PMID22570464.
^Pillai, A; Nelson, R (January 23, 2008). "Probiotics for treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated colitis in adults". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1): CD004611. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004611.pub2. PMID18254055.
^Surawicz, C. M. (2008). "Role of Probiotics in Antibiotic-associated Diarrhea, Clostridium difficile-associated Diarrhea, and Recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated Diarrhea". Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 42: S64–S70. doi:10.1097/MCG.0b013e3181646d09. PMID18545161. S2CID37993276.
^Sazawal, S; Hiremath, G; Dhingra, U; Malik, P; Deb, S; Black, RE (June 2006). "Efficacy of probiotics in prevention of acute diarrhoea: a meta-analysis of masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 6 (6): 374–82. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(06)70495-9. PMID16728323.