Probiotics to Reduce Clostridium difficile Infection: Clinical Experience in a Tertiary Care Center

Mechanisms of action and applications of probiotics for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection

Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming Gram-positive anaerobic bacillus, and is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea and colitis in the industrialized world. The incidence and mortality rates of C. difficile infection (CDI) have increased dramatically in the past decade. CDI is difficult to treat as antibiotic options are limited. Moreover, 15-35% of patients infected with C. difficile re...

Conditions associated with leukocytosis in a tertiary care hospital, with particular attention to the role of infection caused by clostridium difficile.

Few modern studies have enumerated the conditions associated with leukocytosis. Our clinical experience has implicated Clostridium difficile infection in a substantial proportion of patients with leukocytosis. In a prospective, observational study of 400 inpatients with WBC counts of >/=15,000 cells/mm(3), we documented >/=1 infection in 207 patients (53%). Of these 207 patients, 97 (47%) had p...

Probiotics for Clostridium difficile infection in adults (PICO): Study protocol for a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile is a pathogen of rapidly increasing public health importance. An estimated quarter of a million Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) occur in the United States annually, at a resultant cost of 14,000 deaths and 1 billion dollars. Clostridium difficile related deaths have risen 400% over the last decade, and current standard antibiotic treatments are only 75 to...

Prevention of Clostridium difficile Infection With Probiotics.

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and prevention efforts to reduce the spread of C. difficile, CDI remains a significant challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Further advances in prevention of CDI may need to focus on those who continue to be exposed to the organism and who are susceptible. Interventions directed toward this susceptibl...

Know When to Test: Optimizing Diagnostic Practices for Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) Among Patients at a Tertiary-Care Cancer Center