Health
CDC calls for physicians to report C. diff in sick infants
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 16, 2006
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling for physicians to contact the agency with information about clusters of gastrointestinal illness in infants who test positive for Clostridium difficile, according to an alert issued Sept. 14 by the CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.
Large numbers of infants have this bacteria in their systems, although it's unusual for them to be sickened by it. In response to reports of clusters of neonates developing illness linked to this bug, the CDC is actively attempting to gather information on similar outbreaks to determine the true magnitude of the problem.
The CDC is asking physicians who have seen an increase in children younger than 2 with diarrhea or other stomach trouble who tested positive for this infection either this year or last to e-mail the agency ([email protected]" target="_blank">link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/10/16/hlbf1016.htm.