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CLOSTRIDIOIDES DIFFICILE CULTURE (FORMERLY CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE CULTURE)

Synonym(s):

​CD Culture, C.difficile Culture

Description

Indications

Specimen Required

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

Storage and Transport

Method

​Culture

Test Results

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

Reference Interval / Value

Turnaround Time

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

Day(s) Test Set up

​Monday - Saturday

Remarks

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

Change History Notes

Others

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