This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Marler, L M Articles by Allen, S D Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Marler, L M Articles by Allen, S D

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1992 February; 30(2): 514-516

Comparison of five cultural procedures for isolation of Clostridium difficile from stools.

Department of Pathology, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis 46202-5113.

ABSTRACT

Several procedures have been described for the culture of Clostridium difficile from stool specimens. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of five of these methods for the isolation of C. difficile from feces of patients suspected of having C. difficile-associated illness. A total of 564 stool specimens were cultured by using heat shock, ethanol treatment (ET), and direct plating on Carr-Scarborough cycloserine-cefoxitin-fructose agar (CCFA) with horse blood (C/S medium), BBL CCFA medium, and Remel C. difficile agar. Cytotoxin assays were performed on all specimens. A total of 113 specimens (20%) were positive for C. difficile by one or more methods. The numbers of positive cultures by using heat shock, ET, and direct plating on C/S medium, BBL CCFA medium, and Remel C. difficile agar were 79 (70%), 89 (79%), 91 (81%), 79 (70%), and 52 (46%), respectively. We concluded that ET and direct plating on C/S medium were the most effective procedures for isolating C. difficile from stool specimens and found significant variation in the performance of modified CCFA from different manufacturers.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Arroyo, L. G., Rousseau, J., Willey, B. M., Low, D. E., Staempfli, H., McGeer, A., Weese, J. S. (2005). Use of a Selective Enrichment Broth To Recover Clostridium difficile from Stool Swabs Stored under Different Conditions. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 5341-5343 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• O'Connor, D., Hynes, P., Cormican, M., Collins, E., Corbett-Feeney, G., Cassidy, M. (2001). Evaluation of Methods for Detection of Toxins in Specimens of Feces Submitted for Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile- Associated Diarrhea. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 2846-2849 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gorbach, S. L., Graeme-Cook, F., Smith, R. N. (1994). Case 25-1994- A 58-Year-Old Woman with Bloody Diarrhea after Chemotherapy for Carcinoma of the Tongue. NEJM 330: 1811-1817 [Full Text]