Website maintenance is planned from 8:00 a.m. CDT Saturday, July 27, through 9:00 p.m. CDT Sunday, July 28. Brief disruptions may occur during this time.
A number of studies have indicated that stool culture and parasitological examination are usually not indicated when diarrhea develops more than three days after admission to the hospital, because these tests are designed to detect agents of community-acquired gastrointestinal infection. In contrast, testing for C. difficile should be considered in such patients if they are over two years in age; patients less than two years in age commonly have asymptomatic C. difficile colonization. NOTE: There are select patient populations, such as older adults and immunocompromised patients, in whom community-type pathogens may be detected after three days of hospitalization. Therefore, clinicians should be able to obtain stool cultures and/or stool parasitological examinations in these select populations after three days of hospitalization.