gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

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posta
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gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby posta » Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:19 pm

yesterday i was tested positive for both toxins, today i did analysis again in different lab and results just came back / gdh antigene is present and detected, but both toxins are now negative. what's going on?
between two testings, i took some anti diarrhea meds (my dr prescribed it yesterday before we knew the results) and it stopped D and cramping so i was feeling ok today. will stop that medicine and see how it goes until tomorrow, but now im confused whether to start antibiotics or not.
i suspect i got infected from taking cefixime for 9 days, got D and bad cramping and it lasted for 3 days, then i took that anti diarrhea thing which stopped it yesterday. no fever, no vomiting, blood work all normal, just bad cramping and Ds.
guess im still hoping i might go through this just with probiotics...
i will retest tomorrow, third time, when im not on any meds, and see how it will work, but will appreciate all your thoughts and opinions on this.
thanks!

beth22
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby beth22 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:36 am

I've had a positive pcr and GDH test for over a year with negative toxins and have not treated as I was told by more than one doctor that it means it is not an active case.

georgina
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby georgina » Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:25 am

GDH means that the bacteria is only present but it doesn't create toxins. If you are not convinced by the result and you decide to test again make sure to ask for a PCR . The old EIA toxins test is not very accurate and there can be many false negatives with it , PCR is considered to be more accurate. See CDI -testing.

posta
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby posta » Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:55 am

thank you so much!
its weird because in the last 24h i did not have any symptoms (knock on wood), but i dont want to get my hopes too high.
will test for pcr today, in the lab they told me it takes few days to get the results back, but will do it for sure.

georgina wrote:
> GDH means that the bacteria is only present but it doesn't create toxins.
> If you are not convinced by the result and you decide to test again make
> sure to ask for a PCR . The old EIA toxins test is not very accurate and
> there can be many false negatives with it , PCR is considered to be more
> accurate. See CDI -testing.

georgina
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby georgina » Wed Dec 06, 2017 6:37 am

Will keep my fingers crossed that your test will be negative and your symptoms won't flare up again.

posta
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby posta » Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:06 am

thank you so so much! this support and advices really means a lot.
will now more in a few days, until then i keep it light on food and activity, strong on probiotics and keep praying not to have another round of cramps and D. it was so scary :(
xx

georgina wrote:
> Will keep my fingers crossed that your test will be negative and your
> symptoms won't flare up again.

Lisa33
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby Lisa33 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:42 pm

I tested the same way - GDH antigen is present and negative for the toxins, two and a half years after c-diff. As the others said, this does not indicate an active infection.

georgina
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby georgina » Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:40 am

Posta be careful with the amount of probiotic you take , if you overdo it with probiotics you might get gut discomfort.

beth22
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby beth22 » Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:11 am

If your GDH is positive, most likely PCR will be too. The hospital lab here sends all positive PCR tests for EIA to see if toxins are present. I was told that the EIA tests they use now are better than the old ones. A positive PCR can indicate that you are colonized, but not necessarily have an active infection. If there is no D or other symptoms, doctors here don't treat.

posta
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby posta » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:52 am

yes, that is exactly my case! i just came back from my doctor, even though im toxin free at the moment (well, to be precise, i was positive on monday and negative on tuesday and wednesday) he decided to put me on vanco for 7 days. he thinks it should be treated, even though i feel fine at the moment. said the exact words / my colon is colonized by clostridium. not sure how i feel about all this, i was hoping to get through without new antibiotics, but guess i have to take it now.
here where i live we dont have dificid, so vanco is the best option.
what's your experience with it, is it well tolerated?
thank you for everything!

beth22 wrote:
> If your GDH is positive, most likely PCR will be too. The hospital lab
> here sends all positive PCR tests for EIA to see if toxins are present. I
> was told that the EIA tests they use now are better than the old ones. A
> positive PCR can indicate that you are colonized, but not necessarily have
> an active infection. If there is no D or other symptoms, doctors here
> don't treat.

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby beth22 » Thu Dec 07, 2017 2:32 pm

I tolerated it okay, but I feel that it contributed to my relapses afterwards because it killed off my good bacteria as well. Doctor said I probably should not have been put on it. If you are hesitant and don't have symptoms, maybe you should get a second opinion. Of course, if D returns, then you have no choice. I can just share my own experience and what I was told.

georgina
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Re: gdh antigene present, toxins negative / confused

Postby georgina » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:28 am

Your doctor should treat you based on your symptoms not on your test. I don''t really see the point of taking another course of antibiotics if you are feeling fine , as Roy will say "treat the patient not the test".
Of course , if things go south and you start having D , pain , fever etc you should definitely jump on treatment.


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