Putting C. difficile to the test

The prevalence of C. difficile is very often underestimated.

C. difficile causes an inflammation of the colon that can lead to serious, life-threatening conditions, especially in immunocompromised or elderly patients.

C. difficile bacterial spores are resistant to heat, drying, many disinfectants and most antibiotics because antibiotics only inhibit actively growing bacteria. In a healthcare environment like a hospital or nursing home, C. difficile can be spread quickly through touching contaminated surfaces or by person-to-person contact.

The problem is so widespread, C. difficile infection (CDI) is linked to more than 30,000 deaths a year in the United States — rivaling the 32,000 killed in traffic accidents.¹

Find out why quickly and accurately determining the presence of C. difficile infection is important.

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C. difficile toxins cause the disease symptoms. Only a test detecting active toxin production can help determine the course of treatment.

Recognizing and treating C. difficile faster.

QUIK CHEK™ technology video

See the benefits of QUIK CHEK™ technology over lateral flow.

Patients with C. difficile suffer from abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, mucus or blood in stool, and elevated white blood cell levels.

Despite these symptoms, half of all European hospitals screen for CDI only at the request of the physician.⁵ And even when hospitals do test for the infection, more than 50% are still not using the most accurate testing procedure.⁵

To identify the condition sooner — and stop it before it spreads — the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) have updated their guidelines on how to diagnose C. difficile.⁶ One of the major changes will be diagnosing C. difficile based on clinical signs and symptoms in combination with a lab test. Other key recommendations include:

Empiric testing of all unformed stools samples for patients older than 3 years.
Positive result of GDH or NAAT screening test needs to be followed by Toxin A/B test.
Alternatively, the simultaneous testing with both a GDH and Toxin A/B EIA can be performed.

ESCMID also recommended improved antibiotic stewardship, including education for all healthcare professionals, and national policies that promise continued surveillance prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CDI.

Recognizing and treating C. difficile faster

C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE^®

Get the complete diagnostic picture with just one test.

The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE^® test is the only rapid cassette assay that simultaneously detects both glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) antigen and toxins A & B of C. difficile in less than 30 minutes. The test detects C. diff antigen, GDH, as a screen for the presence of C. diff and confirms the presence of toxigenic C. diff by detecting toxins A and B in fecal specimens.

The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® test has been shown by multiple peer-reviewed studies from N. America, Europe and Asia to be an extremely effective tool to detect CDI.^7-12

Learn more

Rapid

The test gives results in less than 30 minutes.

Flexible

Samples may be performed in batches or individually for on demand testing.

Convenient

The test works with any specimen consistency and with samples stored in transport media such as Cary Blair or C&S.

Eisier, P. USA Today. “Far more could be done to stop the deadly bacteria C. diff”. August 2012.
Crobach, M.J.T. et al. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID): data review and recommendations for diagnosing Clostridium difficile-infection (CDI). Clin Microbiol Infect. 2009 Dec;15(12):1053-66.
Kuijiper, E.J. et al. Emergence of Clostridium difficile-associated Disease in North America and Europe. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2006; 12 (Suppl. 6): 2-18.
Bouza, E. Consequences of Clostridium difficile infection: understanding the healthcare burden. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012; 18 (Suppl. 6): 5-12.
Davies, K.A., et al. Underdiagnosis of Clostridium difficile across Europe: the European, multicentre, prospective, biannual, point-prevalence study of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalised patients with diarrhoea (EUCLID). Lancet Infect Dis. 2014;14: 1208–19.
Crobach, M.J.T. et al. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases: update of the diagnostic guidance document for Clostridium difficile infection. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016 1-19.
Swindells, J. et al. Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests for Clostridium difficile Infection. J Clin Micro. 2010, Vol. 48, No. 2. P. 606-608.
Kawada, M. et al. Evaluation of a simultaneous detection kit for the glutamate dehydrogenase antigen and toxin A/B in feces for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection. J Infect Chemother. 2011. 17:807-811.
Bruins, M.J. et al. Evaluation of three enzyme immunoassays and a loop-mediated isothermal amplification test for the laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2012, 31:3035-3039.
Orellana-Miguel, M.A. et al. Algorithm proposal based on the C. Diff Quik Chek Complete ICT device for detecting Clostridium difficile infection. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin. 2013;31(2):97-99.
Lee, Y.C. et al. Changing incidence and clinical manifestations of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea detected by combination of glutamate dehydrogenase and toxin assay in Northern Taiwan. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2012, 45, 287-295.
Culbreath, K. et al. Evolution of Testing Algorithms at a University Hospital for Detection of Clostridium difficile Infections. J Clin Micro. 2012: Vol. 50. No. 0. P. 3073-3076.