Switching From Ceftriaxone to Cefotaxime Significantly Contributes to Reducing the Burden of Clostridioides difficile infections

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 Aug 23;7(9):ofaa312. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa312. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Abstract

We analyzed Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates and various antimicrobials' application densities from 2013 to 2019 at Leipzig University Hospital, Germany, by using multivariate linear regression. Ceftriaxone application was the only independent predictor of CDI incidence. Thus, antibiotics' specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties such as biliary excretion of ceftriaxone in its active form should be considered when determining their potential to cause CDI.

Keywords: Clostridioides difficile; PK/PD; antimicrobial stewardship; biliary excretion; cephalosporines.