Clinical and Infection Control Implications of Clostridium difficile Infection With Negative Enzyme Immunoassay for Toxin

In a prospective study of 132 patients with a diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by polymerase chain reaction, 43 (32%) had enzyme immunoassay (EIA) results negative for toxin. EIA-negative patients with CDI did not differ in clinical presentation from EIA-positive patients and presented a similar risk for transmission of spores.