Detection Of Toxigenic Clostridium Difficile In Stool By

我们正在评估我们实验室设计的一种用于艰难梭菌病诊断的聚合酶链式反应检测的性能。该方法使用一套检测毒素A基因的引物和另一套检测毒素B基因的引物。聚合酶链式反应产物的终点检测是一种酶联免疫吸附试验。我们的PCR方法将与下列艰难梭菌疾病的诊断方法进行比较：产毒培养法、细胞毒素法和检测毒素A和B的酶联免疫吸附试验。从443份粪便标本中提取DNA，迄今已对其中292份标本进行了PCR检测。来自其他3个化验的数据可用于所有443个样本。一旦进行了所有的聚合酶链式反应分析，将对结果有冲突的标本进行图表审查。我们的结果将证明聚合酶链式反应是否是一种诊断艰难梭菌胃肠道疾病的有用工具。

We are evaluating the performance of a PCR assay designed in our laboratory for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile disease. This assay uses a primer set to detect the toxin A gene and another set to detect the toxin B gene. Endpoint detection of PCR products is an ELISA format. Our PCR assay will be compared to the following methods for diagnosis of C. difficile disease: toxigenic culture, cytotoxin assay, and an ELISA for detection of toxins A and B. DNA has been extracted from 443 stool specimens and the PCR assay has been performed on 292 of these specimens so far. Data from the other 3 assays is available for all 443 specimens. Once all PCR assays have been performed a chart review will be performed for specimens with conflicting results. Our results will demonstrate if PCR is a useful tool for diagnosis of C. difficile gastrointestinal disease.