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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Validation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay for detection ...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2010; 24(3); 628-632; doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.00506.x

Validation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay for detection of Clostridium difficile toxins in feces of horses with acute diarrhea.

Abstract: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a recognized cause of colitis in the horse. Identification of its toxins is important for management of individual cases and for prevention of transmission and zoonosis. In humans, CDI diagnosis is performed with enzyme immunoassays, none of which have been validated for horses. Objective: (1) Establish which test for CDI diagnosis was more frequently used by diagnostic laboratories, (2) determine the identified test's performance, sensitivity, and specificity, and (3) validate its use in diarrheic horses. Methods: Samples were obtained from 72 horses presented with acute diarrhea and hospitalized at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. Methods: A survey was conducted to establish which of the tests for CDI diagnosis in horses is most commonly used throughout North America. A questionnaire was sent to all laboratories registered in the Veterinary Infection Control Society and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The performance of the test was evaluated by comparison to a cell cytotoxicity assay (CTA), the accepted Gold Standard for C. difficile toxin detection. Results: The Techlab C. difficile Tox A/B II ELISA was the most frequently used test. Compared with the CTA, no significant difference was observed, and a good level of agreement (93%) was obtained. The diagnostic performance of the ELISA test was adequate (84% sensitivity and 96% specificity). Conclusions: Results demonstrate that the Techlab C. difficile Tox A/B II ELISA is a reliable, adequate, and practical tool for identification of C. difficile toxins in horse feces.
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Publication Date: 2010-04-06 PubMed ID: 20384955DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.00506.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Evaluation Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study aimed to validate the use of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (a biochemical test) for detecting Clostridium difficile toxins in horses with acute diarrhea. The findings showed the test was reliable, with adequate sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating it as a practical tool for diagnosing Clostridium difficile in horses.

Objectives of the Study

  • The primary focus of the study was to identify which test is commonly used by diagnostic laboratories for the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in horses.
  • The researchers aimed to evaluate the performance, sensitivity, and specificity of the identified test.
  • The study also sought to validate the use of the selected test in diagnosing CDI in horses with acute diarrhea.

Methods

  • The study began by surveying to determine the most commonly used test for CDI in horses in North America. A questionnaire was sent to all laboratories registered with the Veterinary Infection Control Society and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.
  • Performance of the identified test was evaluated by comparing its results to those of a cell cytotoxicity assay (CTA), which is considered the Gold Standard for detecting C. difficile toxin.
  • The study used samples from 72 horses with acute diarrhea, all of whom were hospitalized at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.

Results

  • The survey revealed that the most commonly used test for CDI diagnosis in horses is the Techlab C. difficile Tox A/B II ELISA.
  • When compared to the results from the CTA, there was no significant difference found. The ELISA test had a high level of agreement (93%) with the CTA.
  • The diagnostic performance of the ELISA test was found to be adequate, with a sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 96%.

Conclusions

  • The findings of the study validate the use of the Techlab C. difficile Tox A/B II ELISA test in diagnosing CDI in horses. The test showed reliable performance with adequate sensitivity and specificity, making it a practical tool for the identification of C. difficile toxins in horse feces.

Cite This Article

APA
Medina-Torres CE, Weese JS, Staempfli HR. (2010). Validation of a commercial enzyme immunoassay for detection of Clostridium difficile toxins in feces of horses with acute diarrhea. J Vet Intern Med, 24(3), 628-632. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.00506.x

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 0891-6640
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Pages: 628-632

Researcher Affiliations

Medina-Torres, C E
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada. cemedinat@unal.edu.co
Weese, J S
    Staempfli, H R

      MeSH Terms

      • Acute Disease
      • Animals
      • Bacterial Toxins / isolation & purification
      • Clostridioides difficile / metabolism
      • Diarrhea / microbiology
      • Diarrhea / veterinary
      • Feces / chemistry
      • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
      • Horse Diseases / microbiology
      • Horses
      • Immunoenzyme Techniques / veterinary
      • Reproducibility of Results

      Citations

      This article has been cited 5 times.
      1. Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Bruce M, Byrne D, Riley TV. Genomic Analysis of Clostridioides difficile Recovered from Horses in Western Australia.. Microorganisms 2023 Jul 3;11(7).
        doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11071743pubmed: 37512915google scholar: lookup
      2. Hain-Saunders NMR, Knight DR, Bruce M, Riley TV. Clostridioides difficile infection and One Health: an equine perspective.. Environ Microbiol 2022 Mar;24(3):985-997.
        doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.15898pubmed: 35001483google scholar: lookup
      3. Ramos CP, Lopes EO, Oliveira Júnior CA, Diniz AN, Lobato FCF, Silva ROS. Immunochromatographic test and ELISA for the detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and A/B toxins as an alternative for the diagnosis of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile-associated diarrhea in foals and neonatal piglets.. Braz J Microbiol 2020 Sep;51(3):1459-1462.
        doi: 10.1007/s42770-020-00275-4pubmed: 32363568google scholar: lookup
      4. Oliver-Espinosa O. Foal Diarrhea: Established and Postulated Causes, Prevention, Diagnostics, and Treatments.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2018 Apr;34(1):55-68.
        doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2017.11.003pubmed: 29395727google scholar: lookup
      5. Knight DR, Squire MM, Riley TV. Laboratory detection of Clostridium difficile in piglets in Australia.. J Clin Microbiol 2014 Nov;52(11):3856-62.
        doi: 10.1128/JCM.01225-14pubmed: 25122859google scholar: lookup
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