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

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 2001, p. 1855-1858, Vol. 39, No. 5
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.5.1855-1858.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Biosite Triage Clostridium difficile Panel for Rapid Detection of Clostridium difficile in Stool Samples

Marie L. Landry,1,2,* Jeffrey Topal,3,4 David Ferguson,1,2 Darlene Giudetti,4 and Yajarayma Tang5

Departments of Laboratory Medicine1 and Internal Medicine,3 Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; Clinical Virology Laboratory2 and Department of Quality Improvement and Support Services,4 Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut 06504; and Department of Internal Medicine; University of California Davis, Sacramento, California 958175

Received 5 September 2000/Returned for modification 2 January 2001/Accepted 22 February 2001

One hundred two stool samples were tested by both the rapid Triage Clostridium difficile Panel (Triage Panel) and the cytotoxin cell culture assay. Five samples positive by both the C. difficile toxin A (Tox A) and common antigen components of the Triage Panel had cytotoxin titers of >= 10,000. Twenty-three samples were Triage Panel Tox A negative but common antigen positive. Ten of these had cytotoxin titers of 10 to 1,000, but 13 were cytotoxin negative. Bacterial isolates obtained from 8 of these 13 specimens were analyzed for Tox A and B genes by PCR, and only two contained toxigenic bacteria. Thus, the majority of samples positive only for C. difficile common antigen contained nontoxigenic bacteria. A Triage Panel Tox A-positive result indicated a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 33.3, 100, 100, and 88.2%, respectively. A Triage Panel common antigen-positive result indicated a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 100, 82.7, 53.6, and 100%, respectively. The high NPV of the Triage Panel common antigen, together with rapid reporting of results, should prove useful in avoiding unnecessary use of contact precautions and antibiotic treatment for C. difficile-negative patients. However, with Triage Panel common antigen-positive patients, a sensitive cytotoxin assay should be used to distinguish true cytotoxin-positive patients from C. difficile carriers.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208035, New Haven, CT 06520-8035. Phone: (203) 688-3475. Fax: (203) 688-8177. E-mail: marie.landry{at}yale.edu.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, May 2001, p. 1855-1858, Vol. 39, No. 5
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.5.1855-1858.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ticehurst, J. R., Aird, D. Z., Dam, L. M., Borek, A. P., Hargrove, J. T., Carroll, K. C. (2006). Effective Detection of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile by a Two-Step Algorithm Including Tests for Antigen and Cytotoxin.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 1145-1149 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Snell, H., Ramos, M., Longo, S., John, M., Hussain, Z. (2004). Performance of the TechLab C. DIFF CHEK-60 Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) in Combination with the C. difficile Tox A/B II EIA Kit, the Triage C. difficile Panel Immunoassay, and a Cytotoxin Assay for Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 4863-4865 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Belanger, S. D., Boissinot, M., Clairoux, N., Picard, Francois. J., Bergeron, M. G. (2003). Rapid Detection of Clostridium difficile in Feces by Real-Time PCR. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 730-734 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»