NICU Clostridioides difficile

Publication Date: August 30, 2018

Key Points

Key Points

  • Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is among the most prevalent and important healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affecting children, but reports of CDI in infants <12 months of age are rare, perhaps because of a relative resistance to the effects of C. difficile toxins or other protective factors in the intestinal environment of infants.
  • Additionally, high colonization rates in infants (~35%) make interpretation of positive C. difficile tests in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) patients uniquely challenging.
  • For these reasons, the authors do not recommend routine testing for C. difficile in NICU patients.
    • NICU patients should be evaluated for other more common causes of diarrhea.

Diagnosis

...Diagnosis...

...Testing for CDI The authors advise ag...


Prevention

Hand Hygiene In a nonoutbreak set...


...Infants with diarrhea and a positive C. d...


...ning and Disinfection Strategy Infants with d...


...d Disinfection Strategy In endemic settings, sta...