Protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium difficile Infection. User Manual

Mandatory surveillance for Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) currently includes all patients aged 15 and above in all healthcare settings who present with diarrhoea not attributable to any other cause.

In 2016, the we published a revised version of the ‘Recommended Protocol for Testing for Clostridium difficile and Subsequent Culture’. The revised testing guidance recommends testing stools in patients aged 3 or above.

However, the mandatory surveillance of CDI remains limited to those patients aged 15 or above. Therefore, other than for submissions to the C. difficile Reference Laboratory for ribotyping, this surveillance protocol only applies to those aged 15 or above.