[Diarrhea caused by antibiotic therapy].

Diarrhoea, or any change in bowel habits, occurs in up to 30% of the individuals treated by antimicrobial agents. Most cases of such diarrhoea are benign and secondary to a transient dysfunction of normal colonic flora induced by the antibiotic treatment. In some cases, the antibiotic-induced alteration of the normal gut flora leads to the establishment of pathogens, of which Clostridium difficile is the most important. C. difficile intestinal infection results in a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from benign diarrhoea without colitis to life-threatening cases of relapsing pseudomembranous colitis.