Does Empirical Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) Therapy Result in False-Negative CDI Diagnostic Test Results?

Does empirical Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) therapy result in false-negative CDI diagnostic test results?

BACKGROUND Patients with suspected Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) often receive empirical therapy prior to collection of stool specimens for diagnostic testing. The likelihood that such empirical therapy might result in false-negative CDI test results is unknown. METHODS We conducted a prospective study of CDI patients to determine the time to conversion of CDI test results, including ...

New advances in the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)

Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) have increased in frequency throughout the world. In addition to an increase in frequency, recent CDI epidemics have been linked to a hypervirulent C. difficile strain resulting in greater severity of disease. Although most mild to moderate cases of CDI continue to respond to metronidazole or vancomycin, refractory and recurrent cases of CDI may require al...

Low incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients treated with outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT).

SMT19969 for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI): in vivo efficacy compared with fidaxomicin and vancomycin in the hamster model of CDI

OBJECTIVES SMT19969 is a novel narrow-spectrum antimicrobial under development for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The objectives were to assess the relative efficacies of SMT19969, vancomycin and fidaxomicin in the hamster model of CDI. METHODS Hamsters were infected with either C. difficile BI1 (ribotype 027) or C. difficile 630 (ribotype 012) prior to treatment with...

False Negative Results in Clostridium difficile Testing

BACKGROUND Accurate diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is paramount for patient management. The wrong diagnosis places patients at risk, delays treatment, and/ or contributes to transmission of infection in the healthcare setting. Although amplification of the toxin B gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a sensitive method for detecting toxigenic C. difficile, false negati...