Table 1.
Characteristics of tests for Clostridium difficile infections
| Sensit-ivity | Detects toxin in stool | Time to test completion | Cost | Availability | Stand alone test | |
| EIA Toxin A/B | ++ | Yes | h | + | ++++ | Yes |
| GDH1 | ++++ | No5 | h | + | ++++ | No |
| PCR2 | +++ | No6 | h | ++++ | +++ | Yes |
| TC3 | +++++ | No6 | d | +++ | +7 | Yes |
| CCCNA4 | +++ | Yes | d | +++ | +7 | Yes |
1
Glutamate dehydrogenase;
2
Polymerase chain reaction;
3
Toxigenic culture;
4
Cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay;
5
Detects presence of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile I) only, but not toxin producing capability, requires confirmatory testing;
6
Detects toxin producing C. difficile, but not toxin in stool, false (+) in asymptomatic carriers;
7
Only available in research laboratory. EIA: Enzyme immunoassay; GDH: Glutamate dehydrogenase; PCR: Polymerase chain reaction; TC: Toxigenic culture; CCCNA: Cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay.