Risk of Clostridium difficile infection in intensive care unit patients with sepsis exposed to metronidazole.

Background: Antimicrobial agents used to treat Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), such as metronidazole and vancomycin, have been used during antibiotic treatment of other infections to try to prevent the development of CDI. We evaluated the hypothesis that intensive care unit (ICU) patients who receive metronidazole as part of an antibiotic treatment regimen for sepsis have a lower risk of subsequently developing CDI.

Methods: This was a nested case-control study in a cohort of ICU patients who received antibiotic therapy for sepsis.