Abstract
A hybridization assay for detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in fecal samples was developed and compared with the classical tissue culture cytotoxicity assay. A DNA fragment probe specific for the toxin B gene of Clostridium difficile was synthesized by the polymerase chain reaction and labelled with digoxigenin. Fecal samples were cultured for 24 hours, replica-plated and hybridized with the probe. The hybridization assay had a sensitivity of 100 %, specificity of 96.7 %, positive predictive value of 86.7 % and negative predictive value of 100 % compared with the cytotoxicity assay.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 463-466 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 1993 |
Keywords
- POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION
- TOXIN-A
- LATEX TEST
- IDENTIFICATION
- STRAINS
- GENE