Clostridium difficile Infection in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is now the leading cause of nosocomial infection. There has been an upsurge of CDI in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD patients with CDI have increased morbidity and mortality. The establishment, proliferation, and recurrence of CDI in IBD patients form a complex interplay of microbial, environmental, and host-susceptibility factors. Different risk factors have been found predisposing IBD patients to CDI. Vancomycin performs better than metronidazole in treating IBD patients with CDI. Fecal microbiota transplantation continues to be a very effective therapy. New therapeutic modalities such as vaccinations and bile salts are currently being investigated.

Keywords: Bile salts; Clostridium difficile; Crohn’s disease; Fecal transplant; Inflammatory bowel disease; Metronidazole; Ulcerative colitis; Vancomycin.