Multiplex Assay Detects Six Biothreat Organisms

The product tests for multiple organisms on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA) watch lists with more specificity and at a lower cost than currently available assays

The BioThreat assay kit provides added specificity and selectivity by using a total of 16 genomic and plasmid specific signatures to confirm the presence or absence of an organism. The multicolor combinatorial approach enables the user to screen rapidly a biologic sample for the presence of the five bacteria and one virus in three simultaneous reactions; a traditional singleplex method would require 16 reactions to accomplish the identical task.

The multiplex biothreat assay (MBA) was developed by MicroFluidic Systems (MFSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of PositiveID (Delray Beach, FL, USA). The MBA tests for the following six organisms with 16 organism specific signatures: Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax); Yersinia pestis (Plague); Francisella tularensis (Tularemia); Burkholderia pseudomallei (Melioidosis); Burkholderia mallei (Glanders); and Variola virus major variant (Small Pox).

PositiveID plans initially to target public health and university labs that test for pathogens. Currently available methods require larger amounts of the sample, are generally more costly than MBA, and are not amenable to high-throughput analyses.

Related Links:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
PositiveID