Objective: To explore a method to rapidly detect the presence of Clostridium difficile.
Methods: PCR was used to amplify DNA fragments from the highly conserved and repeated domains of the 3'-terminal of Clostridium difficile toxin A gene and toxin B genes.
Results: The fragments 960 bp and 1,851 bp in length were respectively amplified from toxin A and toxin B, while the control bacteria presented no distinct results.
Conclusion: The 960 bp and 1,851 bp fragments are specific for Clostridium difficile and PCR can be used to detect Clostridium difficile from the stool. As the peptides encoded by these conserved domains have high hydrophobicity and strong antigenicity, manufacture of the protein vaccine by gene engineering is possible on the basis of these conserved domains.