{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Detection ofClostridioides difficileinfection by assessment of exhaled breath volatile organic compounds.
{Author}: John TM;Shrestha NK;Hasan L;Pappan K;Birch O;Grove D;Boyle B;Allsworth M;Shrestha P;Procop GW;Dweik RA;
{Journal}: J Breath Res
{Volume}: 18
{Issue}: 2
{Year}: 2024 03 28
{Factor}: 4.538
{DOI}: 10.1088/1752-7163/ad3572
{Abstract}: Clostridioides difficileinfection (CDI) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired infective diarrhea. Current methods for diagnosing CDI have limitations; enzyme immunoassays for toxin have low sensitivity andClostridioides difficilepolymerase chain reaction cannot differentiate infection from colonization. An ideal diagnostic test that incorporates microbial factors, host factors, and host-microbe interaction might characterize true infection. Assessing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath may be a useful test for identifying CDI. To identify a wide selection of VOCs in exhaled breath, we used thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to study breath samples from 17 patients with CDI. Age- and sex-matched patients with diarrhea and negativeC.difficiletesting (no CDI) were used as controls. Of the 65 VOCs tested, 9 were used to build a quadratic discriminant model that showed a final cross-validated accuracy of 74%, a sensitivity of 71%, a specificity of 76%, and a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.72. If these findings are proven by larger studies, breath VOC analysis may be a helpful adjunctive diagnostic test for CDI.