A bedside test for Clostridium Difficile infection: an Emergency Department use. Preliminary results

Clostridium Difficile (CD) infection is a severe cause of diarrhea in patients with prolonged hospitalization and/or previously treated with antibiotics. CD's A and B toxins are responsible for either diarrhea or septical status as well as other complications including toxic megacolon. Toxins isolation, usually performed by a central microbiological laboratory (CML), is mandatory for the final diagnosis of the disease. The clinical suspect of CD infection (CDI) results in the isolation of the patients, until the fecal test does not exclude the disease. Positive patients need to maintain isolation and start a specific antibiotic therapy. The aim of this study was to verify the sensitivity and specificity of a rapid test for the diagnosis of CDI.