MAST Launch Ground-breaking C.difficile Test

MAST has launched the new GenoType CDiff test from Hain Lifescience.

GenoType CDiff permits the detection and differentiation of non-pathogenic, virulent and hypervirulent (including ribotype 027) strains of Clostridium difficile directly from stool and rectal swabs, or from culture.

It is important to be able to differentiate patients who have non-pathogenic strains of C.difficile from those with virulent or hyper-virulent strains as early as possible. With this information, clinicians and infection control practitioners are able to take measures to treat appropriately, implement isolation procedures, identify outbreaks and also spot emerging strains.

Current laboratory methods for testing C.difficile are either time consuming (cytotoxicity or toxigenic culture), offer poor sensitivity (EIA) or are expensive (PCR). Additional to this, all of these methods offer limited information about different strains without further work needing to be performed.

The Hain Lifescience GenoType CDiff offers hospitals a same day, simple to use, proven platform that can differentiate between non-pathogenic, virulent and hypervirulent (including ribotype 027) strains. As well as having in built controls the assay also has markers for:

• C.difficile: Generic marker that bacteria is present


• Toxins A and B: Identification of pathogenic strains


• Binary toxin: Associated with severe clinical courses


• 3 characteristic deletions in the toxin regulator gene: Indication of hyper-production of toxins


• Resistance to moxifloxacin: Used to identify & differentiate virulent and hyper-virulent strains