Prevalence of Clostridium difficile and its cytotoxin in infants in Mexico

The incidence of Clostridium difficile and its cytotoxic activity were determined in the feces of 122 children under 1 year of age. Samples were obtained from children receiving antibiotics and with (52 cases) or without (26 cases) diarrhea, from children with diarrhea who did not receive antibiotics (22 cases), and from healthy children (22 cases). Isolation of C. difficile in feces from children in all groups was similar (mean 23.4%) except for the group with non-antibiotic-associated diarrhea (4.5%). In both groups of children receiving antibiotics, with or without diarrhea, the cytotoxin was detected in 7.6% of the cases. In the group with non-antibiotic-associated diarrhea, none of the samples was positive for cytotoxicity. In healthy children, cytotoxin was positive in 4.5% of the cases.