A case-control study of Clostridioides difficile symptomatic infections in a pediatric cancer hospital.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to analyze and identify documented infections and possible risk factors for Clostridioides difficile infections in children with cancer.

METHODS

This is a retrospective case-control study, carried out in a pediatric cancer hospital, covering the years 2016-2019. Matching was performed by age and underlying disease, and for each case, the number of controls varied from 1 to 3. Logistic regression models were used to assess risk factors.

RESULTS

We analyzed 63 cases of documented infection by C. difficile and 125 controls. Diarrhea was present in all cases, accompanied by fever higher than 38°C in 52.4% of the patients. Mortality was similar among cases (n=4; 6.3%) and controls (n=6; 4.8%; p=0.7). In all, 71% of patients in the case group and 53% in the control group received broad-spectrum antibiotics prior to the infection. For previous use of vancomycin, the Odds Ratio for C. difficile infection was 5.4 (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 2.3-12.5); for meropenem, 4.41 (95%CI 2.1-9.2); and for cefepime, 2.6 (95%CI 1.3-5.1). For the antineoplastic agents, the Odds Ratio for carboplatin was 2.7 (95%CI 1.2-6.2), melphalan 9.04 (95%CI 1.9-42.3), busulfan 16.7 (95%CI 2.1-134.9), and asparaginase 8.97 (95%CI 1.9-42.9).

CONCLUSIONS

C. difficile symptomatic infection in children with cancer was associated with previous hospitalization and the use of common antibiotics in cancer patients, such as vancomycin, meropenem, and cefepime, in the last 3 months. Chemotherapy drugs, such as carboplatin, melphalan, busulfan, and asparaginase, were also risk factors.