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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2002, p. 2288-2290, Vol. 40, No. 6
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.6.2288-2290.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Development and Evaluation of a PCR Method for Detection of the Clostridium difficile Toxin B Gene in Stool Specimens

Microbiology Department,¹ Hematology Department, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, and University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada²

Received 25 October 2001/ Returned for modification 23 January 2002/ Accepted 21 March 2002

A PCR assay detecting Clostridium difficile toxin B gene in stool specimens was compared to the cytotoxicity assay as the reference standard for the diagnosis of C. difficile antibiotic-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Overall, 118 stool samples were tested. All of the specimens that were negative by the cytotoxicity assay (59 out of 118) were also negative by the PCR method (specificity of 100%). Of the 59 cytotoxin-positive samples, 54 were PCR positive (sensitivity of 91.5%). This PCR method is promising for rapid diagnosis of CDAD.

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