CLOSTRIDIOIDES DIFFICILE CULTURE (FORMERLY CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE CULTURE)

​Stool in screw-capped container sent within two hours to the laboratory

​Culture

​C. difficile (Toxic strain);
C. difficile (Non-toxic strain);
No Clostridioides difficile isolated

​Negative : 2 – 4 days
Positive : 6 – 10 days

​Monday - Saturday

Specimens should only be obtained from symptomatic patients:

A) who have had symptoms of diarrhea with passage of 3 or more liquid stool specimens (type 6 or 7 stool on the Bristol stool chart) in less than 24 hours

B) who are on or have taken antibiotics in the previous 8 weeks

Specimen submission should be limited to either 1 per every episode of potential C.difficile disease (diarrhea) or 1 per 7 days

Repeat testing should be avoided, including for "test of cure" once a patient is positive, unless the patient is part of an epidemiological study

Specimens meeting the following criteria should NOT be submitted; rather, they should be rejected with request for re-collection if applicable

A) formed stools

B) rectal swabs

C) specimens containing less than 3mL or 3g of stool (10 - 20mL is preferred)

Specimen collection from the following patient sources should be limited due to high colonization rates

A) infants less than 1 year of age

B) cystic fibrosis patients