CLOSTRIDIOIDES (FORMERLY CLOSTRIDIUM) DIFFICILE TOXINS A and B

Lab Section Category	Immunology/Serology/STD/Allergy - Serology View write-up
Specimen Required	Send fresh stool (one teaspoon or about 10 mm³of stool) in a clean leak-proof container with a tight-fitting lid. Specimen should be sent as soon as possible, such that testing can be performed within 24 hours of collection. If it is not possible to despatch the stool specimen to the laboratory within the same day, the specimen should be kept at: 2 - 8^oC in the refrigerator, to be received by the laboratory within 72 hours, or Frozen at -10^oC or below and sent with ice pack, for specimens reaching the laboratory beyond 72 hours. Please note: Stool samples sent in transport media, on swabs, mixed in urine or preservatives, are not appropriate for testing and will have to be rejected.
Indications	Only unformed stool that takes the shape of the container (Type 5, 6 and 7 in the Bristol Stool Chart) will be accepted. Formed/solid stool under Type 1 to Type 4 in the Bristol Stool Chart will be rejected. Do not perform repeat testing (within 7 days) during the same episode of diarrhoea, if there are no clear changes to the clinical presentation of suspected C. difficile infection. There is no clinical value in repeat testing to establish cure.
Method	Rapid Membrane Enzyme Immunoassay
Test Results	Reported as Detected or Not Detected for - Toxins A & B - Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH)
Turnaround Time	Range 1-2 days
Day(s) Test Set up	Monday to Saturday (Monday to Friday: before 4pm, Saturday: before 11am , except public holidays).
Remarks	The C. difficile Toxins test has not been evaluated for ileostomy fluid or stoma output