C. difficile 毒素を検出する臨床検査が登場する以前は、大腸内視鏡検査やS状結腸鏡検査(英語版)が盛んに行われていた。大腸や直腸での「偽膜」形成はクロストリジウム・ディフィシル腸炎を強く示唆するものであったが、確定診断できるものではなかった[31]。偽膜は炎症性のデブリや白血球から構成されており、C. difficile 特異的ではないため、C. difficile 毒素を検出する検査が最初に実施される様になったが、内視鏡検査は今でも実施されている。毒素検査ではトキシンAとトキシンBのみが検査されるが、C. difficile は他の毒素も産生する。検査は100%正確ではなく、偽陰性は稀ではあるが、繰り返し検査したとしても完全に排除することはできない。
サイトトキシン検査
C. difficile 毒素は培養細胞塊に対しては細胞変性効果を示し、特異的な抗血清で見られる中和効果は、新たなCDI診断技術を開発する際に最も標準的な比較対象(英語版)となっている[8]。長い時間と多くの手間が掛かるが、選択性培地で毒素産生コロニーを発生させ毒素の産生を確かめる方法は検査のゴールドスタンダードであり、感度特異度共に最高である[32]。
C. difficile 下痢症は北米では毎年10万人当り8人の割合で発生していると推計されている[73]。入院患者に限って計算すると、千人当り4〜8人である[73]。2011年には、米国内で50万人が感染し、2万9千人が死亡した[9]。ニューキノロン耐性株が出現した事で、C. difficile 関連死は2000年から2007年での米国での年間死亡数が5倍となった[74]。
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