A Clostridium difficile infection "intervention": change in toxin assay results in fewer C difficile infection cases without changes in patient outcomes.

Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is most commonly diagnosed using toxin enzyme immunoassays (EIAs). A sudden decrease in CDI incidence was noted after a change in the EIA used at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis. The objective of this study was to determine whether the decreased CDI incidence related to the change in EIA resulted in adverse patient outcomes.