Nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium difficile lack the genes for both toxin A and toxin B. |
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| Authors: | A C Fluit M J Wolfhagen G P Verdonk M Jansze R Torensma J Verhoef |
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| Affiliation: | Eijkman Winkler Laboratory for Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands. |
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| Abstract: | A total of 39 toxigenic and 20 nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium difficile were tested for the presence of either toxin A or toxin B by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All toxigenic strains produced cytotoxin as assayed by using highly sensitive fetal lung fibroblasts and were positive for toxin A as well as toxin B in the PCR assay. All nontoxigenic strains failed to produce toxin and were negative in the PCR assay. This study shows that nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium difficile lack the toxin A as well as the toxin B gene. |
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