Clostridium difficile infection in children with inflammatory bowel disease: current evidence.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. Questions about the role of infections in the development and exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease remain unanswered. Among numerous bacteria that have been linked to IBD, the most frequently associated is Clostridium difficile. Clinical symptoms of C. difficile infection and an exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease are often indistinguishable. In cases of diarrhea in patients with IBD and C. difficile infection, antibiotic treatment is recommended. This review attempts to summarize C. difficile infection's epidemiology and clinical features and describes current evidence on treatment of C. difficile infection in children with IBD.