AdvanDx Inc, Woburn, Mass, introduces Enterococcus QuickFISH BC, a new rapid molecular diagnostic test that identifies potentially life-threatening bloodstream infections caused by Enterococcus.
This new assay is immediately available and complements the September 2012 launch of Staphylococcus QuickFISH BC for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci.
With these new products, QuickFISH can now be used to identify the causative pathogens of approximately 70% (Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2004 May 10;3:7) of hospital-acquired infections from blood cultures.
Enterococcus species are the fourth most common cause of hospital-acquired bacteremia in the United States and fifth most common in Europe, according to the company. The vast majority of enteroccocal infections are caused by Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium.
Treatment decisions are difficult because these species exhibit differing antibiotic-resistance profiles. While E. faecalis is generally susceptible to ampicillin, infections caused by other enterococci, mainly E. faecium, are often resistant to ampicillin or vancomycin, or both.
Conventional identification methods can take up to 3 days or longer, and patients with E. faecium bloodstream infections often receive inappropriate antimicrobial therapy for days, leading to higher mortality and significant hospital costs, the company says. The test will help clinicians and clinical microbiologists optimize antibiotic therapy much earlier for patients with bloodstream infections, the company says.
[Source: AdvanDx]
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