Positivity of Stool Pathogen Sampling in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flares and Its Association With Disease Course.

Abstract

Acute exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may involve enteric pathogen. We aimed to assess the frequency and outcomes of Clostridium difficille toxin (CDT) and non-CDT enteric infections in symptomatic pediatric patients with IBD. Patients' records were retrospectively searched for disease flares in which stool samples were collected for enteric pathogens. Each patient with a positive sample was matched with a patient with IBD flare and negative samples for analyzing 1-year outcomes following sampling. A total of 618 pediatric patients with IBD [Crohn's disease, n = 439 (71%), mean age at diagnosis 13.0 ± 3.4 years, girls, n = 264 (42.7%)] had 1048 stool samples during the study period (2001-2018). Of 914 bacterial cultures, 40 (4.3%) were positive, 30 (75%) of which, positive for Campylobacter jejuni. Of 393 samples for CDT, 28 (7.1%) were positive while parasitic infection rate was 21/529 (3.9%).Overall, 19 positive C jejuni cases and 19 positive CDT cases with matching controls were examined. During 12 months of follow-up, the mean number of disease flares and emergency room visits was higher among patients with positive CDT (1.5 ± 1.4 vs 0.5 ± 0.9, P = 0.019, 1.3 ± 1.5 vs 0.4 ± 0.8, P = 0.05, respectively) with a numeric increase of surgical interventions (3 vs 0, P = 0.08). There were no significant differences in disease outcomes between patients with C jejuni infections and matched controls. C difficile and C jejuni are the most common enteric infections among pediatric patients with IBD but only clostridial infection was associated with a more severe disease course within 12 months.