Clostridium difficile

Duplicα RealTime Advanced Clostridium Difficile A/B Kit is an in vitro diagnostic test for the detection of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B DNA, by Real-Time PCR.

Overview

Clostridium difficile has been recognized as an increasingly important cause of nosocomial disease. It is a Gram positive spore-forming anaerobe and is the causative agent of several antibiotic-associated diarrheal diseases that are induced by treatment with antibiotics or by disruption of the normal gastrointestinal flora. These syndromes are collectively known as C. difficile infections or CDI, and include pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, and may lead to chronic infection, shock and death. Its spore-forming ability and resultant persistence has allowed C. difficile to become common in the hospital environment and it is now the leading cause of infectious diarrhoea in hospitals worldwide. The major virulence factors of C. difficile are thought to be toxin A and toxin B. These toxins are encoded by the tcdA and tcdB genes, respectively, which are located within a 19.6 kb pathogenicity locus, the PaLoc. Both toxin A and toxin B are proinflammatory and cytotoxic, causing disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and impairment of tight junctions in human intestinal epithelial cells, with resulting fluid accumulation and extensive damage to the large intestine.

Targets:

C. difficile DNA
Internal Control (IC)

Diagnostic samples:

Stool samples

DNA Extraction:

Compatible with the most common DNA Extraction and Purification Systems

Real-Time PCR instruments:

Compatible with the most common Real-Time PCR Systems