Increasing Incidence of Community-Associated Atypical Clostridium difficile Disease in Children

Forty-one children with a variety of gastrointestinal complaints were diagnosed with Clostridium difficile infections as part of a routine screen over 3 years. The infection had not been suspected prior to the screen. Each child responded to treatment with metronidazole with resolution of their symptoms. These data suggest that community-associated C difficile is increasing and may produce atypical disease and lead to misdiagnosis.