Objective: To report a case of Clostridium difficile colitis associated with valaciclovir treatment.
Case Summary: A 73-year-old man with lumbar herpes-zoster started valaciclovir 1 g tid. After three days he began vomiting and developed diarrhea, three to four stools per day. Symptoms worsened over the following days and he was admitted. Valaciclovir was stopped and fluid and electrolyte replacement was started. He continued 6 days later with diarrhea of 7 to 13 stools per day and a stool test for diagnosis of C. difficile infection was performed with a positive result. The patient received oral metronidazole (500 mg/t.i.d. for 10 days) and rapid improvement and eventual resolution of his diarrhea was observed after 3 days of therapy.
Discussion: Although no conclusive reports of this reaction exist, we think this is a case of C difficile colitis that appeared three days after valaciclovir was initiated. Colitis improved with metronidazole. Other causes of diarrhea were excluded, such as diabetes mellitus, renal failure, intestinal surgery and intestinal obstruction. Infection was confirmed by a positive test for C. difficile. The application of Naranjo's algorithm asserts the reaction as 'probable'.
Conclusions: Valaciclovir-associated C. difficile colitis, although rare, can have severe consequences for the patient's health. It should be included as a possible adverse effect of valaciclovir treatment by health professionals.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/b:phar.0000013481.72590.e3 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Safety and Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota, Live-jslm (REBYOTA®), for the Prevention of Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection in Participants With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in PUNCH CD3-OLS.
Inflamm Bowel Dis
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Background: Fecal microbiota, live-jslm (RBL; REBYOTA®), is the first single-dose, broad consortia, microbiota-based live biotherapeutic approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) in adults following standard-of-care antimicrobials. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common risk factor for rCDI, yet patients with IBD are often excluded from prospective trials. This subgroup analysis of PUNCH CD3-OLS (NCT03931941) evaluated the safety and efficacy of RBL in participants with rCDI and IBD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpacts of on oxygen sensitivity, gene expression, and murine infection in 630∆.
J Bacteriol
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
infection (CDI), characterized by colitis and diarrhea, afflicts approximately half a million people in the USA every year, burdening both individuals and the healthcare system. 630Δ is an erythromycin-sensitive variant of the clinical isolate 630 and is commonly used in the research community due to its genetic tractability. 630Δ possesses a point mutation in , an autoregulated transcriptional repressor that regulates oxidative stress resistance genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSystemic Absorption of Oral and Rectal Vancomycin in a Critically Ill Patient: A Case Report.
Cureus
December 2024
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School University Hospital, Newark, USA.
Enteral administration of vancomycin is the standard treatment for () colitis and is presumed to have no systemic absorption. In critically ill patients, however, especially with multi-organ failure, enteral absorption of vancomycin is unpredictable and can cause severe toxicity if it remains unrecognized. We therefore report a case of systemic absorption of enteric vancomycin in a patient with severe colitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClostridioides difficile infection and recurrence in cancer patients (CIRCA): a multicentre, international study.
Int J Infect Dis
January 2025
Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases and National Center for Infection, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; National Centre for Infections in Cancer, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Objectives: We aimed to describe the characteristics of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in cancer patients, analysing risk factors for 90-day recurrence and attributable mortality.
Methods: Retrospective analysis on all CDI episodes from 2020 to 2022 in three Australian hospitals and one Spanish hospital. Logistic regression analyses were performed.
Analysis of risk factors of infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Prz Gastroenterol
September 2024
Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland.
Introduction: infection (CDI) is one of the most important challenges in contemporary gastroenterology. However, data from CDI studies are sometimes contradictory.
Aim: To analyse the risk factors for CDI in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!