PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Wren, B
AU  - Heard, S R
AU  - Tabaqchali, S
TI  - Association between production of toxins A and B and types of Clostridium difficile.
AID  - 10.1136/jcp.40.12.1397
DP  - 1987 Dec 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 1397--1401
VI  - 40
IP  - 12
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/40/12/1397.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/40/12/1397.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol1987 Dec 01; 40
AB  - One hundred and seventy two strains of Clostridium difficile isolated from 62 patients with antibiotic associated diarrhoea or pseudomembranous colitis were analysed for the production of toxins A and B and typed using 35S-methionine labelling followed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). There was a correlation between production of toxins A and B and the type of C difficile. One hundred and forty four of 172 strains were either high or low producers of both toxins. Toxins were not detected in 28 of 172 strains. Types A and Y were consistently non-toxin producers; types B and E were high toxin producers. Type X, the epidemic strain, showed variable toxin production. Symptoms of 49 patients with haematological malignant pathology who were part of a documented outbreak of antibiotic associated diarrhoea, were analysed in relation to toxin production and type of the clinical strains isolated. In general, there was a correlation between symptoms of antibiotic associated diarrhoea, the type of C difficile, and its potential for producing toxins.