Most laboratories have begun using polymerase chain reaction assays, or the PCR technique, as opposed to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detection, also known as ELISA testing, to diagnose Clostridium difficile infections, according to research in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
PCR assays are based on the detection of the toxin B gene while ELISA testing uses cell cytotoxicity.
To compare the two diagnostic techniques, researchers identified 136 pediatric patient stool samples positive for C. diff by PCR between October 2010 and July 2014, and then conducted ELISA tests on those stool samples
The results of the study showed 60 percent of the pediatric patients with C. diff diagnosed by PCR had no toxin detectable by ELISA. Additionally, ELISA-negative patients were less likely to have received an antibiotic recently compared with ELISA-positive patients.
"These results highlight the need to standardize laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of C. diff infections in children," the authors concluded.
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