Journal
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Volume 57, Issue 8, Pages 1175-1181Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/cid/cit424
Keywords
Clostridium difficile; laboratory design of C. difficile; Brecher guidelines
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Single molecular or multistep assays (glutamate dehydrogenase, toxin A/B, +/- molecular) are recommended for the diagnosis of CDI in patients with clinically significant diarrhea. Rapid and accurate tests can improve resource allocations and improve patient care. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for toxins A/B is too insensitive for use as a stand-alone assay. This guideline will examine the use of molecular tests and multitest algorithms for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). These new tests, alone or in a multistep algorithm consisting of >1 assay, are more expensive than the older EIA assays; however, rapid and accurate testing can save money overall by initiating appropriate treatment and infection control protocols sooner and by possibly reducing length of hospital stay. We recommend testing only unformed stool in patients with clinically significant diarrhea by a molecular method or by a 2- to 3-step algorithm.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available