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New rapid identification test for Clostridium difficile.

S T Aspinall1, S F Dealler

  • 1Public Health Laboratory, Royal Preston Hospital.

Journal of Clinical Pathology
|November 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
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A new Diffstrip test quickly identifies Clostridium difficile colonies in under 30 minutes. This rapid diagnostic tool accurately confirms C. difficile, minimizing misidentification risks.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

  • Rapid and accurate identification of Clostridium difficile is crucial for effective patient treatment and infection control.
  • Current methods for C. difficile identification can be time-consuming, delaying appropriate clinical decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a novel diagnostic test, the Diffstrip, for rapid confirmation of Clostridium difficile colonies.
  • To assess the test's accuracy and speed in differentiating C. difficile from other Clostridium species.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a Diffstrip incorporating filter paper squares with specific enzyme substrates (prolyl aminopeptidase, galactosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase, indole).
  • Inoculation of the Diffstrip with bacterial colonies, followed by a 20-minute incubation and reagent addition for colorimetric reaction.

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Main Results:

  • The Diffstrip successfully identified 96.4% of Clostridium difficile strains within 30 minutes.
  • A small percentage (3.6%) of C. difficile isolates required additional testing due to ambiguous reaction patterns similar to Clostridium sporogenes.
  • No misidentification occurred; other Clostridium species were accurately differentiated from C. difficile.

Conclusions:

  • The Diffstrip provides a rapid and reliable method for confirming Clostridium difficile colonies in clinical microbiology laboratories.
  • The test significantly reduces the time to identification, enabling faster therapeutic interventions.
  • High accuracy and specificity were demonstrated, with minimal need for supplementary diagnostic procedures.