Course Outline
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- Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI): The C difficile bacterium
- Clostridioides difficile: The bacterium
- Clostridioides difficile strains and toxins
- Emerging New Clostridioides difficile Strain: “The 027 Strain”
- Which of the following describe(s) the Clostridioides difficile bacterium?
- Pathogenic C diff strains can produce multiple toxins. Which statement(s) is (are) correct regarding these toxins?
- A hypervirulent strain, commonly referred to as "strain 027" is an aggressive strain of Clostridioides difficile that produces more toxins and is more...
- CDI: Healthcare Facts and Statistics
- CDI: Healthcare Facts and Statistics
- CDI: Symptoms and Severity
- CDI: Symptoms and Severity
- CDI: Symptoms and Severity (continued)
- CDI: Symptoms and Severity (continued)
- When describing CDI, which of the following statements is (are) correct?
- Using white blood cell counts and creatinine levels may help clinicians classify the severity of CDI. If the white blood cell count is <15,000 and ...
- The risk of a recurrence of CDI is usually higher if the individual is older than 65 and taking other antibiotics while being treated for CDI.
- CDI: Causes , Risk Factors, and Complications
- CDI: Treatment and Prevention
- CDI: Treatment
- CDI: Prevention
- Which statement is not true relative to the treatment of CDI?
- Diagnosis of CDI: Laboratory Methods
- Diagnosis of CDI: Overview and Challenges
- Diagnosis of CDI: Overview and Challenges (continued)
- Traditionally, CDI is diagnosed in a patient by using which of the following?
- Diagnosis of CDI: Laboratory Methods
- Diagnosis of CDI: Laboratory Methods (continued)
- Diagnosis of CDI: Laboratory Methods (continued)
- Laboratory-based tests to help diagnose CDI typically examine a serum or blood sample for certain toxins and/or specific enzyme antigen produced by th...
- Fill in the blank: The cell culture _______________ assay analyzes the effects of the C diff toxin on human cells grown in a culture. This assay has i...
- Match the laboratory method with the method description.
- Laboratory Methods: Overview of Diagnostic Approach
- Laboratory Methods: Diagnostic Approach
- CDI should be suspected in a patient with acute diarrhea (≥3 loose stools in 24 hours) with no obvious explanation for diarrhea, especially with...
- Which statement(s) is (are) true when discussing the approach to diagnosing CDI?
- CDI: Commercially-available Laboratory Tests
- Commercially-Available Tests: Overview
- Commercially-Available Tests: The Xpect C Difficile Test
- The Xpect® C. Difficile Toxin A/B Test (continued)
- The Xpect® C. Difficile Toxin A/B Test (continued)
- Commercially-available testing for CDI currently favors the employment of a rapid, technologically simple, and low-cost assay.
- The following information correctly describes the Xpect® C difficile Toxin A/B test.
- Commercially-Available Tests: The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE®
- The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® (continued)
- The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® (continued)
- The C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® (continued)
- Which of the following selection(s) describe the C Diff Quik Chek Complete® test?
- A C Diff Quik Chek Complete® test result showed vertical blue lines on both the "Ag line" and "Toxin line" with a vertical dotted blue line on th...
- Updated IDSA/SHEA guidelines and recommendations for the diagnosis, laboratory testing and treatment of CDI.
- Overview and summary of IDSA/SHEA guidelines
- Updated IDSA/SHEA Guidelines/Recommendations: Multistep Algorithm Diagnostic Testing and Treatment Recommendations.
- What key changes are included in the newly updated IDSA and SHEA guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CDI?
- Which of the following are recommended IDSA/SHEA guidelines on diagnostic testing for CDI?
- Summary
- References
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Clinical laboratory professionals including medical laboratory scientists, medical technologists, and technicians. This course is also appropriate for clinical laboratory science and MLT students, pathologists, and clinicians.
Author information: David J. Moffa, PhD, BCLD, has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry as an executive manager, clinical laboratory director, and medical laboratory scientist. He is currently a technical consultant for Kentmere Healthcare, Wilmington, DE, and until his retirement, was the Regional Director for LabCorp, Inc. He holds a PhD in medical biochemistry from the School of Medicine, West Virginia University.
Reviewer information: Lorna Ruskin, EdD, MT(ASCP) is an Assistant Professor for the Medical Laboratory Science program at the University of Minnesota. Lorna has approximately 20 years of teaching experience in Medical Laboratory Science programs and has served as both the Program Director and Clinical Coordinator. She has done extensive research on laboratory simulation and has presented at national conferences regarding that topic.
Course Description: This course is intended to provide a detailed description of the pathogenesis of the C. Diff infections, including details of the bacterium, healthcare statistics, symptoms, severity, risk factors and complications. The course also discusses the various types of C. Diff infections and how the treatment and prevention strategies may vary based on the type of infection. Finally, the available laboratory tests used for identification are detailed.
