TY - JOUR
T1 - Increased Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile Infection among Pediatric Oncology Patients
T2 - Risk Factors for Infection and Complications
AU - Murphy, Brianna R.
AU - Dailey Garnes, Natalie J.
AU - Hwang, Hyunsoo
AU - Peterson, Christine B
AU - Garey, Kevin W.
AU - Okhuysen, Pablo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/2/1
Y1 - 2024/2/1
N2 - Background: Pediatric oncology patients, who are typically immunosuppressed, exposed to medications associated with increased Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) risk and hospitalized, are expected to be at substantial risk for infection and complications. Although certain C. difficile ribotypes have been associated with more severe infection in adults, such an association has not been described in children. Methods: To characterize CDI epidemiology, including risk factors and complications among pediatric oncology patients, we retrospectively reviewed charts of patients 1-18 years old treated at a designated cancer center during 2000-2017. We used fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction to identify ribotypes causing disease at our institution. Results: In 11,366 total patients, we identified 207 CDI cases during the study period. CDI prevalence in our pediatric oncology population was 18 cases per 1000 patients. CDI was highest among patients with acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma, and desmoplastic small round cell tumor (105, 66 and 111 cases per 1000 patients, respectively; P < 0.01). Fever, leukocytosis, elevated creatinine and abdominal radiation and fluoroquinolone exposure concurrent with treatment of CDI were associated with complications. Patients with severe CDI experienced increased mortality. Ribotypes previously associated with severe infection were observed infrequently and were not associated with mortality. Conclusions: This is the largest study of CDI in pediatric oncology patients to date. The study identifies specific oncologic diagnoses with increased CDI risk and factors predictive of poor outcomes. As CDI treatment guidelines are developed for this population, these data will be useful for risk stratification of patients in need of early, aggressive treatment.
AB - Background: Pediatric oncology patients, who are typically immunosuppressed, exposed to medications associated with increased Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) risk and hospitalized, are expected to be at substantial risk for infection and complications. Although certain C. difficile ribotypes have been associated with more severe infection in adults, such an association has not been described in children. Methods: To characterize CDI epidemiology, including risk factors and complications among pediatric oncology patients, we retrospectively reviewed charts of patients 1-18 years old treated at a designated cancer center during 2000-2017. We used fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction to identify ribotypes causing disease at our institution. Results: In 11,366 total patients, we identified 207 CDI cases during the study period. CDI prevalence in our pediatric oncology population was 18 cases per 1000 patients. CDI was highest among patients with acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma, and desmoplastic small round cell tumor (105, 66 and 111 cases per 1000 patients, respectively; P < 0.01). Fever, leukocytosis, elevated creatinine and abdominal radiation and fluoroquinolone exposure concurrent with treatment of CDI were associated with complications. Patients with severe CDI experienced increased mortality. Ribotypes previously associated with severe infection were observed infrequently and were not associated with mortality. Conclusions: This is the largest study of CDI in pediatric oncology patients to date. The study identifies specific oncologic diagnoses with increased CDI risk and factors predictive of poor outcomes. As CDI treatment guidelines are developed for this population, these data will be useful for risk stratification of patients in need of early, aggressive treatment.
KW - Clostridioides difficile
KW - immunocompromised
KW - infectious diarrhea
KW - pediatric oncology
KW - ribotype
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U2 - 10.1097/INF.0000000000004178
DO - 10.1097/INF.0000000000004178
M3 - Article
C2 - 38134390
AN - SCOPUS:85183530759
SN - 0891-3668
VL - 43
SP - 136
EP - 141
JO - Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
JF - Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
IS - 2
ER -