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Detection of Clostridium difficile Infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

John G. Bartlett
John G. Bartlett*
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
*
Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Room 447, Baltimore, MD 21205 (jb@jhmi.edu)
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Abstract

There has been a recent surge of interest in Clostridium difficile infection, which reflects an impressive increase in the number and severity of these infections. This review addresses some of the newer methods for detection of C. difficile infection at the bedside and in the laboratory. Particularly important are the new rapid diagnostic tests that detect toxigenic C. difficile using polymerase chain reaction and the combination tests that, either simultaneously or sequentially, screen for C. difficile and test for toxins A and B. It is expected that these new testing methods will largely supplant the enzyme immunoassays for toxins, which are used by most laboratories, departments, and divisions. The present goal is to combine clinical, laboratory, and animal research related to C. difficile that reflects issues that are considered to be major contemporary challenges. Among this work is the pursuit of studies of immune mechanisms to better control this disease.

Type
Supplement Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 31 , Issue S1: Papers from the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections , November 2010 , pp. S35 - S37
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2010

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