An evaluation to detect invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in a mixed population of 158 patients with underlying haematological or critical illness using the new commercial PCR test, the MycAssay, has been completed. The single-centre prospective evaluation tested the reliability and performance of the assay compared with clinical diagnosis and conventional diagnostic tests, such as culture and one of the current commercial gold-standards which is based around the detection of galactomannan (GM) in serum. The data generated from bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] samples showed that the assay is a sensitive and specific molecular test for the diagnosis of IA which, in these early studies, appears to perform better than other assays in the study and is far superior to culture. Invasive aspergillosis is usually a hidden, clinical silent disease. Early detection of IA is critical for improved patient outcomes. Current tests are insensitive or suffer from false-positive and false-negative results. These new data are very promising in the context of haematological or critical illness and hopefully can be introduced into routine fungal disease guidelines at the earliest opportunity.
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Although widely understood and recognised as a key marker in wound healing, currently elevated protease activity (EPA) in chronic wounds goes undetected as there are no visual cues for it. A recently published study showed that chronic wounds with EPA have a 90% probability that they will not heal without appropriate intervention. The estimated 30 million chronic wounds treated each year account for approximately 3% of total health expenditure. Until now, with almost 30% of non-healing wounds having EPA, the absence of a test could result in ineffective treatment choices, leading to significant cost to healthcare providers. Wound care clinicians’ calls for better diagnostic tools to aid wound assessment have now been answered with the CE marking of WOUNDCHECK Protease Status, the world’s first rapid, point-of-care diagnostic test developed specifically for chronic wounds. It has the potential to revolutionise wound care by enabling early, targeted intervention and cost-effective use of advanced therapies to modulate protease activity. Designed to form part of routine wound assessment, the test is easy-to-use and provides results in just 15 minutes at the point of care. This enables the test to immediately influence treatment decisions and help clinicians target advanced wound care therapies more effectively by identifying when EPA exists in chronic wounds. As the implementation of point-of-care testing is new to many wound care clinicians, there is a new online training tool for the training of prospective users.
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Six new assays have been added to the menu on Binding Site’s SPAplus Specialist Protein Analyser. These include IgG in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), IgA CSF, IgM CSF, Albumin CSF as well as Transferrin in serum, and C1 inactivator (C1 inhibitor) in serum and plasma. All six assays are fully automated, easy to use and provide quantitative results to aid the assessment of a patient’s immune system (CSF assays), iron deficiency anaemia (transferrin) and the investigation of hereditary angioedema (C1 inactivator).The SPAplus is ideal for carrying out these specialist protein assays and has been designed to bring together instrument, reagents and exceptional support as a package from a specialist protein focused supplier.The analyser is a compact, turbidimetric platform for specialist protein testing. Its fully automated system enables laboratories to maintain the quality of results and high throughput required for specialised protein assays. It can be placed alongside the laboratory’s main-line analysers or in other areas of the laboratory. Pre-programmed protocols developed and manufactured by the company provide highly sensitive and reproducible results that match or have greater sensitivity than nephelometry. The modular design with intuitive Windows based software makes the analyser very easy to use. It is engineered to a high standard demonstrating excellent reliability with minimal daily, weekly and monthly maintenance procedures.
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The challenge to fight healthcare-associated infections in Europe is resulting in an increased number of active surveillance programmes for MRSA in a continually resource-constrained environment. Rapidly and accurately identifing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients, the BD MAX MRSA assay enables infection control measures to be implemented faster, which can positively impact patient management. The fully automated, bench-top molecular system is designed to perform a broad range of molecular testing as well as the MRSA assay. This offers laboratory professionals the flexibility and versatility to perform CE/in vitro diagnostic assays and user defined protocols on the same platform.
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