
Are There Any Blood Tests To Diagnose Clostridium Difficile Infection?

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Tests not done routinely to check the effectiveness of treatment.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for posting your query on HCM.
If the symptoms of Cl.difficille induced infection are controlled after a course of an appropriate antibiotic (like Vancomycin) the tests are usually not recommended.
However the following tests can be done to detect or rule out the infection:
1. Stool analysis for C. difficile toxin
This test detects harmful substance(toxin) produced by the bacteria Clostridium difficile.
2. Polymerase Chain Reaction test:
It is a rapid (results are ready within one hour) and very sensitive method to confirm the presence of C. difficile toxin. However, it is expensive.
When a person treated for antibiotic-associated diarrhea or colitis relapses and symptoms reoccur, C. difficile testing may be ordered to confirm the presence of the toxin.
Hope this answers your query.
Best regards.

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