Fecal ELISA for Clostridium difficile toxin A and/or B

Sample submission

For these tests we will require up to 1 gram of fresh feces. Samples should be refrigerated shortly after collection and shipped overnight cooled with ice packs (please contact us concerning our shipping program).

Clostridium difficile

Clostridium difficile, a gram-positive anaerobic, spore-forming rod is a major cause of pseudomembranous colitis in humans and has also been associated with diarrhea in dogs and cats. The virulence of C. difficile is associated with the presence of genes that code for various toxins, most notably toxin A (an enterotoxin) and toxin B (a cytotoxin). Isolation rates for C. difficile range between 0-40% in different studies, but isolation frequencies have been similar between diarrheic and non-diarrheic dogs. Therefore, the significance of detecting C. difficile organisms in fecal samples from dogs with diarrhea remains unclear. Approximately 50% of C. difficile organisms harbor the genes for toxins A and/or B.

However, the presence of the gene does not prove the synthesis and release of these toxins. Thus, currently the most accurate method for diagnosis of C. difficile-associated diarrhea is the detection of toxins A and B by ELISA.