Surveillance and control of resistance to beta-lactam among gram-negative bacteria remains nowadays a big concern for microbiologists worldwide. Descriptions of OXA-48 associated infections are still revealing huge impact on antimicrobial treatment and patient morbidity. For clinical laboratories, OXA-48 and its variants represent the most challenging resistance mechanism to detect and are often under-detected by routine diagnostic methods. Multiple allelic variants of OXA-48 have been described, with diverse hydrolytic profiles. As an example, the single amino acid substitution and four amino acid deletion described in OXA-163 confer an increased hydrolytic activity against cephalosporins, coupled to a loss of resistance to carbapenems. This particular hydrolytic profile makes detection confusing. Treatment failures can impede patient recovery and favour the selection of new resistant strains. Until recently, efficient identification of OXA-163-expressing strains relied on gene sequencing, which is not practical for a clinical laboratory daily routine. The recently available immunochromatographic lateral flow assay developed by Coris BioConcept to specifically differentiate OXA-163 from OXA-48 proteins, replaces costly and lengthy genotypic methods. This phenotypic test is an easy-to-use and instrument-free test that provides a fast (15 minutes) and accurate (100%) identification of variants. Precise detection of other carbapenemases will be included in the test to reach a 5-parameters assay. This up-coming “RESIST-5” test commercialized by the same company is the ideal tool to precisely identify the most prevalent carbapenemase-mediated resistance mechanisms on a single phenotypical assay. Its use on a daily routine in healthcare facilities will enable a broader surveillance of worldwide-disseminating new carbapenemase variants and help clinicians in the daily patient care.

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The new VACUETTE SAFELINK tube holder facilitates quick and easy blood collection. The tube can be used in combination with all medical products that have a standard female luer lock connection, such as winged cannulae. Above all, it is characterized by its simple handling.
The luer lock feature sets the VACUETTE SAFELINK apart from the conventional Greiner Bio-One tube holders and makes it particularly suitable for blood collection from venous access devices according to guideline recommendations. Furthermore, tests show that the secure connection withstands pressures of up to 185mmHg. This, along with the functional design and practical handling could make a significant contribution to efficiency in everyday healthcare situations.
The simple screw connection ensures safe and successful blood collection. With a controlled threading movement, the single-use product connects safely and smoothly to the respective medical device. The VACUETTE SAFELINK is manufactured from unbreakable plastic and does not contain natural rubber latex.
Greiner Bio-One uses targeted market monitoring as the basis for implementing ongoing enhancements, so its product portfolio is regularly optimized and expanded. The range of accessories already includes various tube holders, from the standard holder through to the safety version. The VACUETTE SAFELINK holder is a perfect addition to the product line with its screw system for a secure connection.

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A new range of ELISAs provides differentiated analysis of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever. According to Immunological Methods for the Detection of Infectious Diseases (MiQ. 2017), separate detection of antibodies against phase 1 and phase 2 antigens of C. burnetii is recommended to aid discrimination of acute and chronic infections. Acute primary infections are characterized by IgM and later IgG antibodies against phase 2 antigens, while antibodies against phase 1 antigens occur only in chronic infections. Three new ELISAs from EUROIMMUN provide sensitive detection of IgM or IgG antibodies against phase 2 antigens or IgG antibodies against phase 1 antigens and thus support the differentiation of acute and chronic C. burnetii infections. In evaluation studies with precharacterized sera the three ELISAs demonstrated high sensitivities and high specificities, underlining their suitability for use in screening analyses. The ELISAs are fully automatable.

Q fever occurs worldwide and is transmitted to humans by direct or indirect contact with infected animals, consumption of unpasteurized milk or bites from infected ticks. Acute infections manifest with mild flu-like symptoms, whereby complications such as atypical pneumonia or remittent fever can occur. Chronic courses are characterized by infection durations of more than six months and mostly lead to chronic endocarditis. Diagnosis of Q fever is based primarily on serological methods.

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The global spread of carbapenemresistant Acinetobacter spp., and particularly A. baumannii, in healthcare settings causes a major threat to patient survival. Worldwide, drug-resistant Acinetobacter spp. are responsible for serious nosocomial outbreaks, mostly in intensive care units. Even though different resistance mechanisms have been described, production of Amber Class D oxacillinases OXA-23-like hydrolysis enzymes is the most frequently acquired mechanism. Fast and accurate detection of OXA-23-producing strains remains challenging at the laboratory level. Specific identification of oxacillinase-expressing Acinetobacter requires genotypic molecular assays that remain expensive and not commercially available. However immunochromatography lateral flow tests are cost-effective and convenient to detect drug-hydrolysing enzymes. Today, a large panel of lateral flow tests to detect carbapenemase-expressing Enterobacteriacea, named “RESIST”, is commercialized by the Belgian company Coris BioConcept. In order to fulfill the unmet need for fast and reliable detection of drugresistant Acinetobacter, Coris BioConcept developed a new lateral flow assay, “OXA- 23 K-SeT”, for the specific identification of OXA-23-mediated carbapenem-resistant in Acinetobacter spp. from a single colony. With results available in less than 15 minutes, this easy-to-use and instrument-free rapid test represents the first phenotypic, specific and non-molecular confirmatory assay for OXA-23 detection. It will expand the RESIST range of products already adopted nowadays by routine and reference laboratories worldwide, offering an additional tool to ensure the successful treatment of patients and to prevent the spread of carbapenemase-producing bacteria in healthcare settings.
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The recently launched cobas pro integrated solutions is now available for countries accepting the CE mark. This next generation of innovation in the Serum Work Area improves operator experience to help streamline and simplify equipment and processes. With a  simple-to-use and newly designed interface, cobas pro integrated solutions allows for up to 2,200 tests per hour with three modules working in parallel and perfectly synchronized in order to improve efficiency. Furthermore, it boasts up to 3.25 hours less operating time, while 93% of Roche Immunoassays have reaction times of 18 minutes or less. The new cobas pro integrated solutions offers several advanced features, including automated maintenance and cobas AutoCal, together with an intelligent, on-the-fly reagent loading concept. These features aim to optimize the day-to-day experience of laboratory professionals, reducing the time they spend on manual operations. cobas pro integrated solutions introduce key innovations including cobas SonicWash, which is an ultrasonic probe cleaning on the Clinical Chemistry and Ion-Selective Electrode analytical units which assures sample integrity, as well as efficient and flexible sample routing; together with the cobas AutoCal, which is an automated calibration procedure on the clinical chemistry analytical unit which saves precious hands-on time.

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