Latest News
Hear about Genetic Signatures EasyScreen™ Kits at the upcoming 2017 NRL Workshop on Molecular Diagnostics
Genetic Signatures EasyScreen™ Pathogen Detection Kits will be featured in an oral presentation at the upcoming National Reference Laboratory (NRL) Workshop on Molecular Diagnostics on the 16-17th October 2017 Hobart, Australia.
The presentation entitled “A 3baseTM Real-Time Multiplex-PCR for the detection of Extended- Spectrum β -Lactamases (ESBL) and Carbapenemase- Producing Organisms (CPO) will be given by our talented Product Development Scientist Mr. Dilshan Abeysekera.
The NRL Molecular Workshop is a forum for scientists, regulators, test kit manufacturers and clinicians to unite and discuss current issues and new technologies occurring in the world of molecular pathology for infectious diseases. The aim of this workshop is to focus specifically on molecular techniques involved in detecting infectious pathogens.
Visit the conference website for more information: NRL Molecular Diagnostic Workshop
About ESBL and CPO: ESBLs are enzymes that mediate resistance to extended-spectrum (third generation) cephalosporins and monobactams but do not affect cephamycins or carbapenems. The presence of an ESBL-producing organism in a clinical infection can result in treatment failure if one of the above classes of drugs is used. ESBLs can be difficult to detect because they have different levels of activity against various cephalosporins. Thus, the choice of which antimicrobial agents to test is critical. 1
CPO or CRE, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or organisms, are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics. Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are examples of Enterobacteriaceae, a normal part of the human gut bacteria, that can become carbapenem-resistant. Types of CRE are sometimes known as KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) and NDM (New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase). KPC and NDM are enzymes that break down carbapenems and make them ineffective. Both of these enzymes, as well as the enzyme VIM (Verona Integron-Mediated Metallo-β-lactamase) have also been reported in Pseudomonas.
Healthy people usually do not get CRE infections – they usually happen to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare settings. Patients whose care requires devices like ventilators (breathing machines), urinary (bladder) catheters, or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients who are taking long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for CRE infections.
Some CRE bacteria have become resistant to most available antibiotics. Infections with these germs are very difficult to treat, and can be deadly—one report cites they can contribute to death in up to 50% of patients who become infected.2
About the EasyScreen™ Antibiotic Resistance Detection Kit: The EasyScreen™ Antibiotic Resistance Detection Kit detects the most common resistant markers. ESBL and CPO targets that are detected are β –Lactamases TEM, SHV, CTX-M, CMY, DHA,OXA-48 like , OXA- 23 like, OXA-51 like, GES, MCR-1,IMI,SME, , New Delhi Metallo- β –Lactamases (NDM), Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), Metallo- β –Lactamases VIM, Metallo- β –Lactamases IMP.
