Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea

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Nationally notifiable since 2009

1.0 National Notification

Only confirmed cases of disease should be notified.

2.0 Type of Surveillance

Routine case-by-case notification to the federal level

3.0 Case Classification

3.1 Confirmed case

Clinical illness (see section 5.0) and laboratory confirmation of infection:

• a positive toxin assay for C. difficile
  OR

Diagnosis of pseudomembranes on sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, or histological/ pathological diagnosis of C. difficile infection

4.0 Laboratory Comments

5.0 Clinical Evidence

Clinical illness consists of diarrhea or fever, abdominal pain and/or ileus.

Diarrhea is defined as one of the following:

• six watery stools in past 36 hours
• three unformed stools in 24 hours for at least 1 day
• eight unformed stools over 48 hours

6.0 ICD Code(s)

6.1 ICD-10 Code(s)

A04.7

6.2 ICD-9/ICD-9CM Code(s)

008.45

Colitis due to C. difficile

7.0 Type of International Reporting

8.0 Comments

9.0 References

Date of Last Revision/Review:

May 2008