NYMC Faculty Publications
Use of a Perianal Swab Compared With a Stool Sample to Detect Symptomatic Clostridium difficile Infection
Journal Title
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
First Page
658
Last Page
662
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2017
Department
Medicine
Second Department
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of a perianal swab to detect CDI. METHODS A perianal swab was collected from each inpatient with a positive stool sample for C. difficile (by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] test) and was tested for C. difficile by PCR and by culture. The variables evaluated included demographics, CDI severity, bathing before perianal swab collection, hours between stool sample and perianal swab, cycle threshold (Ct) to PCR positivity, and doses of CDI treatment before stool sample and before perianal swab. RESULTS Of 83 perianal swabs, 59 (71.1%) tested positive for C. difficile by PCR when perianal swabs were collected an average of 21 hours after the stool sample. Compared with the respective stool sample, the perianal sample was less likely to grow C. difficile (P=.005) and had a higher PCR Ct (P
Recommended Citation
Montecalvo, M. A., Sisay, E., McKenna, D., Wang, G., Visintainer, P., & Wormser, G. P. (2017). Use of a Perianal Swab Compared With a Stool Sample to Detect Symptomatic Clostridium difficile Infection. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 38 (6), 658-662. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2017.47
Publisher's Statement
Originally published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 38 (6), 658-662. The original material can be found here.
