Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Hologic

Designs and provides products for clinical laboratory and blood screening, including testing items for detection of h... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Commercial RT-PCR Tests Compared to Culture for Bacterial Gastroenteritis

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Jan 2022
Nucleic acid-based testing (culture-independent diagnostic testing, CIDT) for bacterial gastroenteritis offers three major advantages over culture-based diagnosis: it has better analytical sensitivity, is less labor intensive through automation, and has faster turnaround times.

Multiple commercial nucleic acid test assays (i.e. More...
real-time PCR, RT-PCR) are available, testing at a minimum of four pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), and Shigella). However, there are many caveats associated with CIDT for bacterial gastroenteritis, and gaps in the evaluation of commercial assays.

Clinical Microbiologists at the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, Canada) and their colleagues used clinical stool specimens and contrived samples comprising commonly circulating species, serotypes, biovars, and/or toxin subtypes were for a comparison of four commercial RT-PCR tests. The four tests were: RIDAGENE Bacterial Stool Panel and EHEC/EPEC Panel (R-Biopharm AG, Darmstadt, Germany); FTD Bacterial Gastroenteritis assay (Fast Track Diagnostics, Luxembourg); BD MAX Enteric Bacterial Panel and Extended Enteric Bacterial Panel (BD Canada, Mississauga, ON, Canada); Prodesse ProGastr SSCS Assay (Hologic Inc., San Diego, CA, USA).

The four commercial RT-PCR assays were challenged with 67 contrived stool specimens, each spiked with an isolate representing different Campylobacter species, Salmonella serotypes, Shigella species and serotypes, STEC toxin subtypes, Y. enterocolitica serotypes/biotypes, and Yersina spp; these isolates are the common circulating types in Alberta, Canada. All assays gave positive results for C. jejuni, C. coli, Y. enterocolitica, and all species and serotypes of Shigella, but negative results for Y. non-enterocoltica spp. and C. upsaliensis. Most Shiga toxin subtypes were detected by all assays except for stx2f, which was detected by Ridagene.

The performance of the four commercial assays was assessed using 171 clinical fecal specimens collected prospectively, which were initially tested by culture at the frontline diagnostic laboratories. This included feces that were 125 culture-positive or 46 culture-negative for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, STEC, or Y. enterocolitica. Using culture as a reference standard, the sensitivity for all organisms (excluding Yersinia) was >96% for all four assays and specificity was >90%, except for BD Max (87%).

The authors concluded that their study provided a third-party evaluation of four commercially available RT-PCR assays for bacterial gastroenteritis and demonstrated the assays to be mostly equivalent to each other and culture with a few caveats. Depending on the prevalence of certain stx sub-types, Yersinia species, and Campylobacter species in a laboratory's jurisdiction, without further improvement in culture-independent tests, culture methods remain critical for the detection of these pathogens. The study was published on January 1, 2022 in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:
University of Calgary
R-Biopharm
Fast Track Diagnostics
BD Canada
Hologic



Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Specimen Radiography System
TrueView 200 Pro
New
Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Assay
LIAISON Anti-TPO
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.