Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Hematologic Malignancy Patients With Positive Clostridium difficile Toxin Immunoassay Versus Polymerase Chain Reaction Test Results

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2018 Jul;39(7):863-866. doi: 10.1017/ice.2018.83. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

Abstract

In a cohort of inpatients with hematologic malignancy and positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Clostridium difficile tests, we found that clinical characteristics and outcomes were similar between these groups. The method of testing is unlikely to predict infection in this population, and PCR-positive results should be treated with concern.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;863-866.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
  • Clostridium Infections / drug therapy
  • Clostridium Infections / epidemiology*
  • Clostridium Infections / microbiology*
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Female
  • Hematologic Neoplasms / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay* / methods
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction* / methods
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Toxins