Use of arbitrary primer PCR to type Clostridium difficile and comparison of results with those by immunoblot typing

An arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) assay was used to type Clostridium difficile isolates from a hospital outbreak of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Forty-one isolates were separated into nine groups, with 66% falling into one group; no other group contained more than 10%. Comparison of AP-PCR grouping with that when the immunoblot technique was used showed agreement for 33 of 34 isolates typed by both techniques, and AP-PCR grouped seven isolates that were not typeable by immunoblotting.