Test for C Difficile Toxins

A new test directly detects Clostridium difficile toxins A and B from fecal samples in only 20 minutes.

Until recently, all toxigenic strains of C difficile were thought to produce both toxins A and B, and toxin A was thought to play the most significant role in disease progression. New reports now document the existence of A-/B+ strains of C difficile linked to C difficile-associated disease (CDAD). The ability to detect both toxins quickly is now extremely important, as reports from around the world increasingly report CDAD caused by strains that are negative for toxin A but positive for toxin B.

The new test, from Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK), is called Xpect Clostridium difficile toxin A/B test and it detects both toxins A and B. This minimizes false-negatives caused by A-/B+ strains. The test is simple, with no specimen processing required and minimal manual intervention. Diluted sample is mixed with conjugate and added to the test cassette. Within 20 minutes, the result is clearly visible. Such speed results in early therapy and prompt initiation of infection-control procedures.

Toxigenic C difficile strains are a frequent cause of infectious nosocomial diarrhea associated with recent antibiotic therapy. Those most at risk include the elderly, patients with underlying illnesses, and immunosuppressed patients. Complications include pseudomembranous colitis (PMC), toxic megacolon, perforations of the colon, sepsis, and even death. C difficile infection in a hospital increases morbidity and mortality among patients, increases therapeutic interventions and infection-control procedures, and increases length of stay for affected patients.




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