Table 1. Properties of Clostridioides difficile diagnostic stool studies.
| Assay | Utilization | Cost per specimen36 |
Turnaround time |
Sensitivity (%) |
Specificity (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDH test | Detects enzymatic product of antigen |
$ | <4 hours | >90 | 80 |
| NAAT | Detects genes encoding for toxins |
$$$ | 30 minutes to 2 hours |
90–100 | 90–100 |
| EIA | Detects free toxin | $ | 1 hour | 40–100 | 90–95 |
| TC | Detects toxigenic spores/organism |
$$ | 48 hours to 7 days |
>90–100 | >90 |
| CCCNA | Detects free toxin and its effects on cells |
$$ | 24–48 hours | 65–85 | >90 |
CCCNA, cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay; EIA, enzyme immune assay; GDH, glutamate dehydrogenase; NAAT, nucleic acid amplification test; TC, toxigenic culture.