[Detection of "Clostridium difficile" on minimal and selective medium and by immunofluorescence antibody staining...

A minimal and selective medium containing 5 aminoacids, 3 vitamins, a low sugar concentration and 2 antibiotics (cefoxitin at 16 microgram/ml and streptomycin at 500 microgram/ml) is described for isolation of Clostridium difficile from the gut. Comparable results were obtained with this medium and using spore isolation by the sodium thioglycolate-lysozyme technique. An antiserum specific to C. difficile was prepared and used for detection by immunofluorescent antibody staining. This is a very sensitive technique which leads to a quick and early identification of this bacterial species.