Oral Vancomycin Prophylaxis Effective for Prevention of Recurrent C. Diff Infection

In hospitalized patients receiving systemic antibiotics, the incidence of recurrent C. difficile infection was significantly reduced among those who received prophylaxis.

Oral vancomycin is used to treat episodes of Clostridium difficile colitis. To examine its use as a prophylactic agent, investigators retrospectively studied 203 patients with a prior history of C. difficile-associated diarrhea who were hospitalized and received systemic antibiotic therapy at a single community teaching hospital over a 4-year period.

Oral vancomycin prophylaxis had been used in 113 patients (at doses of 250 mg or 125 mg twice daily) and had not been used in 132 patients. Recurrent C. difficile infection occurred in 4% of those who received prophylaxis versus 27% of those who did not receive prophylaxis.

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Oral Vancomycin Prophylaxis Effective for Prevention of Recurrent C. Diff Infection

Topics

Reviewing Author