Abstract
We evaluated a two-step algorithm for detecting toxigenic Clostridium difficile: an enzyme immunoassay for glutamate dehydrogenase antigen (Ag-EIA) and then, for antigen-positive specimens, a concurrent cell culture cytotoxicity neutralization assay (CCNA). Antigen-negative results were ≥99% predictive of CCNA negativity. Because the Ag-EIA reduced cell culture workload by ≈75 to 80% and two-step testing was complete in ≤3 days, we decided that this algorithm would be effective. Over 6 months, our laboratories' expenses were US$143,000 less than if CCNA alone had been performed on all 5,887 specimens.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1145-1149 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of clinical microbiology |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology (medical)