Fecal Matters: Clinician and Laboratorian Perspective on Impact of Molecular GI Pathogen Testing

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 02, 2017) - The featured presenters for this upcoming live discussion are Dr. Bert Lopansari, Chief of the Intermountain Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical Director of Intermountain Central Laboratory and Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Utah School of Medicine, and Dr. Kevin McNabb, Director of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Testing at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Services from New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Diarrhea caused by bacterial, viral, and/or parasitic infection represents a significant worldwide healthcare burden. Each year, there are two billion instances of diarrheal disease globally, resulting in nearly two million deaths.¹ The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that diarrhea is the cause of or is a major contributor to approximately one-quarter of all post-neonatal childhood deaths.² In the U.S., an estimated 1.4 episodes of acute diarrhea occur per person each year.³ Infectious diarrhea and foodborne illness are responsible for more than 300,000 emergency department visits and 225,000 inpatient stays each year in the U.S. and are associated with healthcare costs of about $1.8 billion.⁴

Rapid diagnostics for stool pathogens have only recently emerged as viable options for testing for community-acquired diarrhea. Antibody-mediated EIA methods have shown the ability to shorten turnaround times for such stool pathogens as shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC), however, these kits lack the multiplexing capabilities necessary to replace culture for routine screening and may still require 12-24-hour turnaround times. Multiplex molecular methods are very well suited for stool pathogens, as these tests can target most stool pathogens of interest at one time. The sample-to-result automation and rapid turnaround times of these tests has been shown repeatedly to improve workflow efficiency in the clinical laboratory.5 The improved sensitivity of molecular-based tests over culture will also provide the accurate results necessary for earlier optimization of patient management, better infection control, and quicker public health response to potential outbreaks.

Diarrheal illness will continue to be a burden to healthcare providers worldwide. Rapid diagnostic tests for stool pathogens may provide a means to minimize the impact of this burden throughout the entire hospital.

This webinar is being sponsored by Luminex Corporation.

References:

1. World Health Organization. Diarrhoeal Disease: Fact Sheet N°330 April 2013. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs330/en/index.html. Accessed 28 March 2017.

2. Bryce J, Boschi-Pinto C, Shibuya K, Black RE. WHO Estimates of the Causes of Death in Children. Lancet 2005; 365: 1147-1152.

3. Herikstad H, Yang S, Van Gilder TJ, Vugia D, Hadler J, Blake P, Deneen V, Shiferaw B, Angulo FJ. A Population-Based Estimate of the Burden of Diarrhoeal Illness in the Unites States: FoodNet, 1996-1997. Epidemiol Infect 2002; 129: 9-17.

4. Lucado J, Mohamoud S, Zhao M, Elixhauser A. Infectious Enteritis and Foodborne Illness in the United States, 2010: HCUP Statistical Brief #150. 2013. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb150.pdf (Accessed May 2015).

5. Mortensen JE, Ventrola C, Hanna S, Walter A. Comparison of Time-Motion Analysis of Conventional Stool Culture and the BD MAX™ Enteric Bacterial Panel (EBP). BMC Clinical Pathology 2015; 15:9.

For more information or to register for this free webinar visit: Fecal Matters: Clinician and Laboratorian Perspective on Impact of Molecular GI Pathogen Testing

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