Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and NTE-SENER, the brand of the SENER group active in the field of healthcare technology, are partnering to enhance microbiology laboratory efficiency and effectiveness with the DxM 6100 Autoplak Advanced automated plate streaking system. The agreement between the two companies took effect June 16, 2017, making Beckman Coulter the sole distributor of the DxM 6100 Autoplak Advanced System for most European countries.
The DxM 6100 Autoplak Advanced System automates and integrates the core aspects of microbiology specimen processing, including plating and streaking, Gram stain slide preparation and enrichment broth inoculation. This streamlines routine tasks and helps laboratories manage increasing testing volumes by enabling them to reallocate technical resources as needed.
The DxM 6100 Autoplak Advanced System is compact for easy placement in tight workspaces. The open platform provides flexibility by allowing customers to use liquid transport tubes and consumables from various manufacturers and enabling them to customize protocols to accommodate current processes. Quality is enhanced through traceability, standardization and safe processes that reduce cross-contamination risk. The highly reliable DxM 6100 Autoplak Advanced System enables laboratories to maximize uptime for fewer workflow interruptions, and is supported by Beckman Coulter’s expert service and support professionals.

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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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