C Diff Diagnosis

Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is the leading cause of gastroenteritis-associated death in North America, and infects around half a million Americans annually. While most people affected will

We sought to determine how often patients with a negative toxin enzyme immunoassay following a positive nucleic acid amplification test for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) were treated for CDI in Veterans Affairs facilities. From October 2018 through March 2021, 702 (29.5%) of 2,374 unique …

Overall, the automated CCNA provides a specific, sensitive, and reproducible tool to support determination of CDI epidemiology or the efficacy of interventions such as vaccines.

First Light Diagnostics is developing and commercializing breakthrough automated diagnostic products for rapidly detecting infections and determining optimal treatment. The company announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its SensiTox™ C. difficile Toxin Test along with its proprietary MultiPath Analyzer to be marketed in the US.

The calprotectin stool test is a noninvasive test that can help determine if you have an inflammatory or noninflammatory bowel condition. Learn more about what this test measures and when it's used.

Overdiagnosis of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is associated with increased hospital length of stay, antibiotic overuse, unnecessary infection prevention efforts and excess costs. This study evaluated a paper-based bedside C. difficile screening tool on the number of …

An intervention that required administrative approval of all Clostridioides difficile testing after hospital day 3 out-performed electronic health record-based support in reducing C. difficile test…

An intervention that required administrative approval of all Clostridioides difficile testing after hospital day 3 out-performed electronic health record-based support in reducing C. difficile testing, according to a study.“We performed this work as part of a larger quality improvement initiative with the goal of improving the accuracy of diagnosis of C. difficile infection in order to

A novel Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, HiberGene's CD was evaluated with 82 unformed stools from patients suspected of C. difficile infection (CDI). Compared to glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) toxins A/B test (C.diff Quik Chek®), HiberGene's LAMP showed 100% of sensitivity and 95 …

116 environmental samples from a 504 bed clinical hospital obtained in 2017/19 were inoculated into C diff Banana Broth™. Six C. difficile and 12 C. pefringens strains were isolated. Antibiotic-resistant Clostridium spp. dominated in hospital environment. To determine Clostridium spp. in hospital en …

A healthy, intact gut microbiota is often resistant to colonization by gastrointestinal pathogens. During periods of dysbiosis, however, organisms such as Clostridioides difficile can thrive. We describe an optimized in vitro colonization resistance assay for C. difficile in stool (CRACS) and demonstrate the utility of this assay by assessing changes in colonization resistance following antibiotic exposure. Fecal samples were obtained from healthy volunteers (n = 6) and from healthy subjects receiving 5 days of moxifloxacin (n = 11) or no antibiotics (n = 10). Samples were separated and either not manipulated (raw) or sterilized (autoclaved or filtered) prior to inoculation with C. difficile ribotype 027 spores and anaerobic incubation for 72 h. Different methods of storing fecal samples were also investigated in order to optimize the CRACS. In healthy, raw fecal samples, incubation with spores did not lead to increased C. difficile total viable counts (TVCs) or cytotoxin detection. In contrast, increased C. difficile TVCs and cytotoxin detection occurred in sterilized healthy fecal samples or those from antibiotic-treated individuals. The CRACS was functional with fecal samples stored at either 4°C or −80°C but not with those stored with glycerol (12% or 30% [vol/vol]). Our data show that the CRACS successfully models in vitro the loss of colonization resistance and subsequent C. difficile proliferation and toxin production. The CRACS could be used as a proxy for C. difficile infection in clinical studies or to determine if an individual is at risk of developing C. difficile infection or other potential infections occurring due to a loss of colonization resistance.

Clostridioides difficile causes nosocomial outbreaks which can lead to severe and even life-threatening colitis. Rapid molecular diagnostic tests allow the identification of toxin-producing, potentially hypervirulent strains, which is critical for patient management and infection control. PCR …

Acute and chronic diarrheal illness secondary to gastrointestinal infection is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. A cornerstone of management includes prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of culprit pathogens. Timely diagnosis can improve patient care, assist in i …

Dr. Samuel Dominguez shares the importance of robust testing methods and diagnostic stewardship

The two-step algorithm with simultaneous GDH and toxin A/B rapid immunoassay arbitrated by NAAT seems to be the best strategy for CDI diagnosis in developing countries.

Test restriction was more effective than EHR-based clinical decision support to reduce C. difficile testing in our 3-hospital system.

During the COVID-19 surge last year, the federal government stopped the required reporting on healthcare-associated infections (HAI) thus leaving an absence of data and important information on HAI. One study examined the effect the initial pandemic surge had on Clostridioides Difficile infection (CDI) in one hospital.

Important things to understand about diagnosing C. difficile and recommendations for properly differentiating the condition from other diseases when working-up a patient.

Types of testing algorithms used in clinical practice to help clarify a diagnosis of C difficile infection.