July 20, 2011
Re: Clostridium difficile Testing
Procedure
Valued Client,
Gamma HealthCare, Inc. will be offering a new molecular
diagnostic test for Clostridium difficile starting August
15, 2011. Rapid identification of toxigenic
Clostridium difficile in the stool samples of patients
showing signs and symptoms of C. difficile infection can
be critical to patient care and management.
We will be offering the Meridian Bioscience, Inc.,
illumigene™ C. difficile Assay. This is a
qualitative, in vitro diagnostic, molecular amplification
test that detects the pathogenicity locus by targeting the tcdA
target region which is found in all A+B+ and A-B+ toxinotypes.
By providing this test we can offer you:
- Superior diagnostic accuracy that eliminates the need for
additional or repeat testing of patient samples,
- Quicker identification of infected patients that will enable
you to manage infected patients more rapidly.
illumigene™ C. difficile Assay utilizes Loop
Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) to detect toxin gene
sequences associated with toxin producing C.
difficile. The assay has been evaluated to provide
a sensitivity and specificity of 95.2% and 95.3% respectively when
compared directly to the gold standard of toxigenic culture.
Additional literature is available from the laboratory.
Please contact us if you have any questions.