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 toxin- patients. Overall, toxin- patients had less severe diarrhea, fewer diarrhea days, and lower mortality (P < 0.001, all comparisons) than toxin+ patients. One toxin- 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 toxin- 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 toxin- patients.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 369-373 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease |
Volume | 74 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- Clostridium difficile
- Diarrhea
- Healthcare-associated infection
- Outcomes
- Toxin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases