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Probiotics and Child Gastrointestinal Health pp 139–146Cite as

Clostridium difficile Colitis Prevention and Treatment

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AMIDPH,volume 1125))

Abstract

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is the most common causative agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. This spore-forming, obligate anaerobic, gram-positive bacillus is becoming responsible for an increasing number of infections worldwide, both in community and in hospital settings, whose severity can vary widely from an asymptomatic infection to a lethal disease. While discontinuation of antimicrobial agents and antibiotic treatment of the infection remain the cornerstone of therapy, the use of probiotics, especially Saccharomyces boulardii, and more recently of fecal microbiota transplantation have become valid forms of prevention and/or therapy and are here critically examined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Pediatrics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir, Turkey

    Meltem Dinleyici

  2. KidZ Health Castle, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Yvan Vandenplas

Authors
  1. Meltem Dinleyici
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  2. Yvan Vandenplas
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Correspondence to Yvan Vandenplas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Stefano Guandalini

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Ospedale Giovanni XXI, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Amendola, Bari, Italy

    Flavia Indrio

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Dinleyici, M., Vandenplas, Y. (2019). Clostridium difficile Colitis Prevention and Treatment. In: Guandalini, S., Indrio, F. (eds) Probiotics and Child Gastrointestinal Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(), vol 1125. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2018_322

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