Rapid Detection of Sepsis-Causing Pathogens

A new reliable test for diagnosis and identification of 25 sepsis-causing pathogens has been launched in the United Kingdom. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based-test can detect and identify both bacterial and fungal sepsis pathogens in less than six hours.

More than 23,000 UK patients develop severe sepsis each year with a resulting mortality greater than 10,000. This is the equivalent of at least 27 deaths each day. Traditional blood-culture methods can take up to two to five days to diagnose sepsis and even then there is a positive test rate of less than 20% for patients with sepsis. The LightCycler SeptiFast test of Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerlan), provides rapid, reliable results, saving valuable time. Targeted therapy using the correct antibiotic can begin only after pathogens are correctly identified. The ability of the test to detect fungal pathogens is an enormous breakthrough--fungal pathogens are almost impossible to detect using blood cultures, and can take up to eight days to diagnose--accounting for a substantial proportion of fatalities.

The LightCycler SeptiFast test can detect several pathogens simultaneously from just one blood sample. Three milliliters of whole blood are sufficient, even when the sample contains only minute quantities of pathogen DNA. The test can even be used to identify bacteria that have already been treated with antibiotics and therefore would not be detectable by traditional culture methods. The test works on the basis of the PCR. Repeatedly specific sequences are copied from the genetic material of the pathogen (DNA) so that even small initial quantities can be clearly identified. The MGrade quality of the reagents ensures that there is no contamination with microbial genetic material, resulting in reliable results. MGrade is a brand name for a manufacturing process developed by Roche to produce DNA-free disposable products.



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