Clostridium dificile Toxin A & B , Stool

Clostridium dificile is a pathogen capable of causing severe gastrointestinal disease in individuals on antibiotic therapy and is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. It was first identified as the primary cause of pseudo-membranous colitis and shown to be a primary isolate from the faeces of patients undergoing clindamycin treatment. C. dificile toxin expression may be enhanced by stress (including antibiotics) and catabolite repression. However, several other factors are believed to be involved in toxin production. Toxin A targets the Ras superfamily of small GTPases for modification via glycosylation. This irreversible modification inactivates these regulatory proteins, leading to disruption of vital signalling pathways in the cell. In addition, there are several important steps in receptor binding and cell entry, which are important for intoxication.

Diagnosis of Clostridium dificile infection is based primarily on the detection of C. dificile toxin A in the faeces of affected individuals.

Stool or proctoscopic specimen Room Temperature

Negative