An elderly patient developed watery diarrhea after antibiotic use; which test would confirm Clostridium difficile infection?

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Multiple Choice

An elderly patient developed watery diarrhea after antibiotic use; which test would confirm Clostridium difficile infection?

Detecting the toxins produced by Clostridioides difficile in the stool is what confirms infection. When antibiotics disrupt normal gut flora, C. difficile can release toxins A and B that damage the intestinal lining and cause watery diarrhea. Demonstrating the presence of these toxins directly ties the symptoms to toxin-mediated disease, distinguishing true infection from mere colonization or other causes of diarrhea. Other tests target different pathogens—stool culture for Campylobacter, stool O&P for parasites, or PCR for norovirus—so they wouldn’t confirm C. difficile infection.

Detecting the toxins produced by Clostridioides difficile in the stool is what confirms infection. When antibiotics disrupt normal gut flora, C. difficile can release toxins A and B that damage the intestinal lining and cause watery diarrhea. Demonstrating the presence of these toxins directly ties the symptoms to toxin-mediated disease, distinguishing true infection from mere colonization or other causes of diarrhea. Other tests target different pathogens—stool culture for Campylobacter, stool O&P for parasites, or PCR for norovirus—so they wouldn’t confirm C. difficile infection.

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