Detection of Clostridium difficile toxin by an indigenously developed latex agglutination assay

An indigenously developed latex agglutination assay using C. sordelli antitoxin was used to screen 211 stool samples received from hospitalized patients. Of 126 samples from patients receiving single to multiple antibiotics for various ailments, 38 (30%) were positive by the toxin assay, whereas only 6/85 (7%) of samples of patients not receiving antibiotics were also positive. Thus, of 211 samples a total of 44 (20.8%) were positive by our toxin assay, giving titers ranging from 1 in 5 to 1 in 320. The test developed by us is simple, rapid, easy and reliable and can be easily adapted to all microbiology laboratories.