Positive role of Clostridium difficile infection in diarrhea in infants and children.

A retrospective review of children with Clostridium difficile infection and diarrhea identified 43 patients. Fifteen (35%) had immunoglobulins below the normal range for age, and typified those with transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy, because all increased their levels over the following 12 months. The age of those with hypogammaglobulinemia was significantly younger (p less than 0.01), averaging 18.8 months, than those with normal immunoglobulins who had a mean age of 4.6 yr. The number with recurrent C. difficile infection was significantly greater (p less than 0.001) in the hypogammaglobulinemic group than in those with normal immunoglobulins (46% vs 18%). Eleven children were identified who had C. difficile toxin in the stool after antibiotic therapy, but who had no diarrhea at the time of study. All had normal immunoglobulins. Control patients (20 without and 40 with diarrhea) had no evidence of C. difficile infection, and all but three had normal immunoglobulins. Three (7%) of those with diarrhea had IgA deficiency, and all had a diagnosis of milk protein allergy. These data suggest that immunoglobulin values be obtained in infants and children who have problematic C. difficile diarrhea in order to identify disorders of immunoglobulin synthesis which may be the underlying cause of repeated upper respiratory disease requiring antibiotic usage.