Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6116344 | Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease | 2012 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Clostridium difficile testing is shifting from toxin detection to C. difficile detection. Yet, up to 60% of patients with C. difficile by culture test negative for toxins and it is unclear whether they are infected or carriers. We reviewed medical records for 7046 inpatients with a C. difficile toxin test from 2005 to 2009 to determine the duration of diarrhea and rate of complications and mortality among toxin-positive (toxin+) and toxinâ patients. Overall, toxinâ patients had less severe diarrhea, fewer diarrhea days, and lower mortality (P < 0.001, all comparisons) than toxin+ patients. One toxinâ patient (n = 1/6121; 0.02%) was diagnosed with pseudomembranous colitis, but there were no complications such as megacolon or colectomy for fulminant CDI among toxinâ patients. These data suggest that C. difficile-attributable complications are rare among patients testing negative for C. difficile toxins. More studies are needed to evaluate the clinical significance of C. difficile detection in toxinâ patients.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Immunology and Microbiology
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Authors
Christopher R. Polage, David L. Chin, Jhansi L. Leslie, Jevon Tang, Stuart H. Cohen, Jay V. Solnick,