Table 2.
Detection of C. difficile in healthy human adults by RT-qPCR, qPCR, culture, and EIAa
| Group (category) | n(by gender) | Age range (yr) (mean ± SD) | RT-qPCR |
qPCR |
Culture |
EIA DR (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log10 cells/g of fecesb | DR (%) | Log10 cells/g of fecesb | DR (%) | Log10 CFU/g of fecesb | DR (%) | ||||
| A-1 (facility residents) | 83 (M 24, F 59) | 68–106 (85 ± 8) | 4.0 ± 2.0 | 43 | 6.7 ± 1.0 | 19 | 4.9 ± 0.9 | 18 | 0 |
| A-2 (facility staff) | 19 (M 5, F 14) | 23–56 (36 ± 10) | 2.2 ± 0.1 | 16 | ND | 0 | 2.9 | 5 | 0 |
| B (healthy adults living at home) | 63 (M 40, F 23) | 20–65 (41 ± 11) | 4.9 ± 1.2 | 13 | NT | NT | NT | ||
a
Fecal samples were collected by the procedure described in Materials and Methods. DR, detection ratio; M, male; F, female; NT, not tested; ND, not detected.
b
Data are expressed as means and standard deviations.