Evaluation of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile Infections

A new assay (illumigene C. difficile; Meridian Bioscience), based on the original loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, was evaluated with 472 unformed stools from patients suspected of Clostridium difficile infection. Compared to the toxigenic culture, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 91.8, 99.1, 91.8, and 99.1% for the illumigene C. difficile assay and 69.4, 100, 100, and 96.6% for the cytotoxicity assay, respectively.