Pneumococcal Assay Determines 14 Serotypes Simultaneously

A pneumococcal antibody assay can determine 14 serotypes in a single reaction vessel. The newly developed multiplexing system is an open-architecture, multi-analyte technology platform that delivers fast, accurate, and cost-effective bioassay results.

The multiplexed indirect immunofluorescent assay for pneumococcal polysaccharides (PnPs) simultaneously determines serum IgG concentrations to 14 PnPs serotypes: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6B, 7F, 8, 9N, 9V, 12F, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F.

The Luminex Bioscience Group (LBG, Austin, TX, USA) announced the market release of the assay, which is based on the company's multiple analyte profiling system (xMAP). It can be used on the existing installed base of Luminex instrumentation. The bioassay showed good overall agreement with the enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) that is currently recommended for evaluation of pneumococcal vaccine immunogenicity.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is the leading cause of invasive bacterial disease in children and is responsible for more child deaths than any other pathogen. Several available vaccines have had a significant impact on the incidence of pneumococcal disease. Before and after vaccination, physicians routinely order pneumococcal antibody screening assays to evaluate the levels of protective immunity of the patient.

Patrick J. Balthrop, president and CEO of Luminex, stated, "We are extremely pleased to announce the availability of this multiplexed pneumococcal assay to our customers. The commercial launch of this assay represents a major milestone for the Luminex Bioscience Group and demonstrates our capability to deliver assay product solutions in response to unmet needs in the life sciences market.”



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