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Faecal lactoferrin assay as an adjunct to Clostridium difficile diarrhoea
Chetana Vaishnavi1, Babu Ram Thapa, Kandavel Thennarasu
1Department of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh-160012, India.
Indian Journal of Pathology & Microbiology
|February 21, 2003
Summary
The faecal lactoferrin latex agglutination (FLLA) assay, when used with the Clostridium difficile toxin (CDT) assay, aids in diagnosing C. difficile infections in children. This combined approach is useful for identifying C. difficile associated intestinal diseases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea is characterized by inflammation.
- Lactoferrin is produced by inflammatory cells, suggesting its potential as a biomarker.
- Accurate and timely diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI) in children is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of a simultaneous faecal lactoferrin latex agglutination (FLLA) assay and Clostridium difficile toxin (CDT) assay for diagnosing CDI in pediatric patients.
- To determine the relationship between antibiotic usage and CDI in the study population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 150 fecal samples from pediatric patients.
- Conducted both FLLA and CDT assays concurrently on all samples.
- Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- Antibiotic usage did not show a significant relationship with the occurrence of diarrhea (p=0.287).
- CDT positivity was significantly higher in patients who received antibiotics (42.9%) compared to those who did not (7.3%) (p=0.002).
- A highly significant statistical relationship (p<0.001) was observed between CDT and FLLA positivity.
Conclusions:
- The simultaneous use of FLLA and CDT assays is a valuable adjunct for diagnosing C. difficile associated intestinal diseases in children.
- This combined diagnostic approach is effective when other enteropathogens causing inflammatory diarrheas are excluded.