Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are at a higher risk for Clostridium difficile after exposure to beta-lactam antibiotics, according to the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
These antibiotics are commonly used in ALL pediatric patients for fever and neutropenia (low white blood cell count) management, according to the article.
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Researchers tracked more than 8,200 patients, 3.2 percent of whom developed a C. diff infection within 180 days of an ALL diagnosis.
For patients who had been exposed to beta-lactam antibiotics, each extra day of exposure correlated with an increased risk of developing C. diff, according to the report.
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