Rapid, accurate diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infections

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a symptomatic infectious disease caused by the anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium called Clostridium difficile. The severity of the infection is also on the rise, meaning the requirement for a rapid and accurate method of diagnosis is more important than ever. The qPCR reaction targeted the toxin B gene, the critical component of all toxigenic C. difficile strains. It can additionally detect the epidemic 027/NAP1/BI strain which is associated with a higher mortality rate.The xxpress utilises resistive heating technology and forced air cooling to deliver rapid temperature cycles. Combining this technology with a unique, ultra-low thermal mass consumable makes the xxpress the world’s fastest and most thermally uniform qPCR thermal cycler. A 40 cycle qPCR is now possible in as little as 10 minutes.