Detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile in fecal samples by colony blot hybridization.
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.
Wolfhagen
M J
MJ
Eijkman-Winkler Laboratory for Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Fluit
A C
AC
Jansze
M
M
Rademaker
C M
CM
Verhoef
J
J
D001483:Base Sequence; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D004269:DNA, Bacterial