Newborns Require Special Diagnosis and Treatment for Infectious Diarrhea

Newborns require special diagnosis and treatment for Clostridioides difficile(infectious diarrhea).C. Difficile infections are rarely identified in infants because of protective factors in the digestive systems that resist the effects of its toxins.

Newborns require special diagnosis and treatment considerations for an infectious diarrhea known as Clostridioides difficile. C. Difficile infections are rarely identified in infants because of protective factors in the digestive systems that resist the effects of its toxins.//

This means lab tests for C. difficile in infants are difficult to interpret since many infants may show evidence of the bacteria with no symptoms.

Guidelines For Diagnosis, Treatment of Infectious Diarrhea
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has released guidelines to interpret clinical signs and investigation for infectious diarrhea.

‘C. Difficile infections are one of the most common infections, rarely identified in infants because of protective factors in the digestive systems that resist the effects of its toxins.’

This has been studied by a new evidence-based white paper published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

The publication is in conjunction with the release of a companion review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) and recommends against routine testing for C. difficile in neonatal patients and suggests evaluating first for more common causes of diarrhea. It is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections.

"Few data exist to guide frontline clinicians about prevention of C. difficile in this vulnerable population," said Thomas Sandora, MD, MPH, lead author of the white paper and a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Boston Children's Hospital.

Comparing Fecal Transplant to the Existing Standard of Care for Clostridium Difficile
Over the last decade, fecal transplantation (FT) has re-emerged as a promising treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.

"This white paper is the first of a planned series of reports that will synthesize the latest and best research in infection prevention to ensure we are providing care based on the most current information and expert opinion."

The white paper also provides practical, expert opinion-based answers to frequently asked questions on C. Difficile detection and prevention in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Hospitals' Infectious Diarrhea Prevention Efforts Is The Priority Of New Expert Guidelines
New expert guidance encourages healthcare institutions to implement and prioritize prevention efforts for infectious diarrhea, suggesting MRSA as the most common bacteria causing infections.

The question-and-answer format addresses hand hygiene, contact precautions, as well as cleaning and disinfection in the NICU.

According to the authors, antibiotic stewardship--coordinated programs to improve appropriate use of these drugs--has shown a beneficial impact on adverse events seen in the NICU and should be continued even though there is no specific evidence on the impact of stewardship on C. Difficile infections for neonatal patients.

Probiotics to Treat Infectious Diarrhea
A recent Cochrane review study has found that probiotics can reduce the duration and severity of infectious diarrhea in adults and children.

Source-Eurekalert