Final answer:
C. difficile infection is a serious health concern, especially after recent complications. NAAT like qPCR is the gold standard for diagnosis, detecting the gene for toxin B. Treatment options include antibiotics such as vancomycin, and for recurrent cases, a fecal transplant may be considered.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a patient who recently had a C. difficile complication is presenting with symptoms suggestive of a recurrent infection, clinicians must act swiftly to diagnose and manage the condition. C. difficile, or Clostridium difficile, is a significant concern in healthcare settings because it can cause severe antibiotic-associated diarrhea and more serious complications like pseudomembranous colitis. Long-term antibiotic use can disrupt the normal microbiota of the gut, leading to an overgrowth of this bacterium.
Diagnosis can be challenging, as traditional culturing methods may not always detect the bacterium or its toxins. A nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), such as qPCR, which detects the genetic material of the pathogen, is considered the gold standard. Upon a positive result for the gene encoding C. difficile toxin B (tcdB), treatment typically involves antibiotics like vancomycin, but novel treatments like fecal transplants are also available and have shown high success rates in restoring a healthy gut microbiota and resolving infections.