{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T17:08:58Z","timestamp":1792084138812,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,4]],"date-time":"2024-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1717459200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,4]],"date-time":"2024-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1717459200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fonds de partenariat pour un Qu\u00e9bec innovant et en sant\u00e9"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100015116","name":"GenePOC","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100015116","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microbiol Spectr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title\/>\n            <jats:p>\n              The detection of\n              <jats:italic>Clostridioides difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              infections (CDI) relies on testing the stool of patients by toxin antigen detection or PCR methods. Although PCR and antigenic methods have significantly reduced the time to results, delays in stool collection can significantly add to the turnaround time. The use of rectal swabs to detect\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              could considerably reduce the time to diagnosis of CDI. We developed a new rapid PCR assay for the detection of\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              and evaluated this PCR assay on both stool and rectal swab specimens. We recruited a total of 623 patients suspected of\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              infection. Stool samples and rectal swabs were collected from each patient and tested by our PCR assay. Stool samples were also tested by the cell cytotoxicity neutralization assay (CCNA) as a reference. The PCR assay detected\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              in 60 stool specimens and 61 rectal swabs for the 64 patients whose stool samples were positive for\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              by CCNA. The PCR assay detected an additional 35 and 36 stool and rectal swab specimens positive for\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              , respectively, for sensitivity with stools and rectal swabs of 93.8% and 95.3%, specificity of 93.7% and 93.6%, positive predictive values of 63.2% and 62.9%, and negative predictive values of 99.2% and 99.4%. Detection of\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              using PCR on stools or rectal swabs yielded reliable and similar results. The use of PCR tests on rectal swabs could reduce turnaround time for CDI detection, thus improving CDI management and control of\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              transmission.\n            <\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>IMPORTANCE<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>\n              <jats:italic>Clostridioides difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              infection (CDI) is the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea, resulting in high morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. In clinical laboratories, CDI testing is currently performed on stool samples collected from patients with diarrhea. However, the diagnosis of CDI can be delayed by the time required to collect stool samples. Barriers to sample collection could be overcome by using a rectal swab instead of a stool sample. Our study showed that CDI can be identified rapidly and reliably by a new PCR assay developed in our laboratory on both stool and rectal swab specimens. The use of PCR tests on rectal swabs could reduce the time for the detection of CDI and improve the management of this infection. It should also provide a useful alternative for infection-control practitioners to better control the spread of\n              <jats:italic>C. difficile<\/jats:italic>\n              .\n            <\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.00225-24","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,30]],"date-time":"2024-04-30T13:02:26Z","timestamp":1714482146000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Comparison of rectal swabs and fecal samples for the detection of\n            <i>Clostridioides difficile<\/i>\n            infections with a new in-house PCR assay"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4898-4083","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ann","family":"Huletsky","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre de recherche en infectiologie de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"Axe maladies infectieuses et immunitaires, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vivian G.","family":"Loo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yves","family":"Longtin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"},{"name":"Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean","family":"Longtin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sylvie","family":"Trottier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre de recherche en infectiologie de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"Axe maladies infectieuses et immunitaires, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"C\u00e9cile L.","family":"Tremblay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montr\u00e9al, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rodica","family":"Gilca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Axe maladies infectieuses et immunitaires, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qu\u00e9bec-Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement de m\u00e9decine sociale et pr\u00e9ventive, Facult\u00e9 de m\u00e9decine, Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement de risque biologique et de la sant\u00e9 au travail, Institut national de sant\u00e9 publique du Qu\u00e9bec, Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Lavall\u00e9e","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"D\u00e9partement de 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