Treatment with intravenously administered gamma globulin of chronic relapsing colitis induced by Clostridium difficile toxin

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that children with chronic relapsing colitis induced by Clostridium difficile toxin have defective antibody responses to C. difficile toxins as a cause of their underlying illness. Six such children were tested for serum IgG and IgA antibody to C. difficile toxin A. These six children had lower IgG anti-toxin A levels than 24 healthy children (p = 0.026) and 18 healthy adults (p = 0.0008). Five patients treated with 400 mg intravenously administered gamma-globulin per kilogram every 3 weeks had significant increases in IgG (p = 0.01) but not IgA anti-toxin A (p = 0.406) levels, and all five had clinical resolution of their gastrointestinal symptoms as well as clearing of C. difficile cytotoxin B from their stools. These observations suggest that a deficiency of IgG anti-toxin A may predispose children to the development of chronic relapsing C. difficile-induced colitis. In such cases, intravenous gamma-globulin therapy may be effective in producing clinical remission.