Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30517094›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2018

The predictive value of quantitative nucleic acid amplification detection of Clostridium difficile toxin gene for faecal sample toxin status and patient outcome.

Kerrie A Davies, Tim Planche, Mark H Wilcox

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Guideline
  3. Trial
  4. Clostridioides difficile pathogenesis and control.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Comparative evaluation of the STANDARD M10 and XpertJournal of clinical microbiology · 2024
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Diagnostic Guidance for C. difficile Infections.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024
    Article
  9. Novel Biomarkers, IncludingInfection and immunity · 2023
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Journal of clinical medicine · 2021
    Review
  13. Patient Outcomes With Prevented vs NegativeOpen forum infectious diseases · 2020
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Treatment of Severe and Fulminnant Clostridioides difficile Infection.Current treatment options in gastroenterology · 2019
    Review
  16. Observational
  17. Article
  18. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kerrie A DaviesLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6862-5355
Tim PlancheSt George's Healthcare NHS Trust, St. George's University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Mark H WilcoxLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
University of Leeds · GBSt George's, University of London · GB

Funding

Department of Health [UK]
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLaboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains unsettled, despite updated guidelines. We investigated the potential utility of quantitative data from a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for C. difficile toxin gene (tg) for patient management.

methodsUsing data from the largest ever C. difficile diagnostic study (8853 diarrhoeal samples from 7335 patients), we determined the predicative value of C. difficile tgNAAT (Cepheid Xpert C.diff) low cycle threshold (CT) value for patient toxin positive status, CDI severity, mortality and CDI recurrence. Reference methods for CDI diagnosis were cytotoxicity assay (CTA) and cytotoxigenic culture (CTC).

resultsOf 1281 tgNAAT positive faecal samples, 713 and 917 were CTA and CTC positive, respectively. The median tgNAAT CT for patients who died was 25.5 vs 27.5 for survivors (p = 0.021); for toxin-positivity was 24.9 vs 31.6 for toxin-negative samples (p<0.001) and for patients with a recurrence episode was 25.6 vs 27.3 for those who did not have a recurrent episode (p = 0.111). Following optimal cut-off determination, low CT was defined as ≤25 and was significantly associated with a toxin-positive result (P<0.001, positive predictive value 83.9%), presence of PCR-ribotype 027 (P = 0.025), and mortality (P = 0.032). Recurrence was not associated with low CT (p 0.111).

conclusionsLow tgNAAT CT could indicate CTA positive patients, have more severe infection, increased risk of mortality and possibly recurrence. Although, the limited specificity of tgNAAT means it cannot be used as a standalone test, it could augment a more timely diagnosis, and optimise management of these at-risk patients.

Indexed as

Enterocolitis, PseudomembranousGenes, BacterialNucleic Acid Amplification TechniquesBacterial ToxinsClostridioides difficileDisease-Free SurvivalFecesFemaleHumansMaleSurvival RateBacterial Toxins

Identifiers

PMID30517094
PMCPMC6281240
OpenAlexW2949767963

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.