The use of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay for the detection of Clostridium difficile toxin A.
A commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of Clostridium difficile toxin A (Premier Toxin A EIA, Meridian Diagnostics, Cincinnati, Ohio) was compared with tissue culture cytotoxicity assay, enterotoxigenic culture, and latex agglutination test for the laboratory diagnosis of C difficile-associated disease. When evaluated for detection of C difficile-associated disease using clinical specimens, EIA was the most sensitive (83.1%) and tissue culture cytotoxicity assay was the most specific test with EIA, tissue culture cytotoxicity assay and enterotoxigenic culture having similar correlation values (96.6, 96.1, 94.0%, respectively). The latex agglutination test was not as accurate (89.7% correlation) as the other three tests due mainly to its poor sensitivity (47.9%). The EIA is a rapid, easy-to-use alternative to tissue culture cytotoxicity assay for detection of C difficile-associated disease.
Gilligan
P H
PH
Clinical Microbiology/Immunology Laboratories, University of North Carolina Hospital, Chapel Hill 27599.
Walden
T P
TP
Kelly
W F
WF
Wait
K J
KJ
Kraft
J A
JA
Willis
D H
DH
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000592:standards; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000175:diagnosis; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000592:standards*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile