Real-time PCR reagents to detect Candida auris, Candida species, and C. auris with fluconazole resistance
Candida auris detection reagents are commercially available for use in clinical and research laboratories
Bothell, WA, March 27, 2023 — ELITechGroup MDx LLC (EGMDx) announced availability of their Candida auris family of products, including reagents for C. auris detection, a multiplex of seven Candida pathogens, and C. auris with fluconazole resistance. This suite of real-time PCR products includes analyte specific reagents (ASR) and research use only (RUO) materials used by clinical and research laboratories.
The EGMDx product portfolio includes:
- DSQ Alert™ Candida auris primer and probe ASRs*, for specific detection of auris
- MGB Alert® Candida auris with fluconazole resistance RUO** Detection Reagent
- MGB Alert® Candida species with C. auris RUO** Detection Reagent, for detection and discrimination of seven Candida species in a multiplex format
EGMDx initially released their Candida auris product family in February 2023. Product development efforts accelerated in response to a November 2022 publication from the World Health Organization, the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List. The WHO publication urges detection and surveillance for Candida pathogens and antifungal resistance.
In March 2023, the Centers for Disease Control published a warning in the Annals of Internal Medicine that cited a dramatic increase in the spread of C. auris between 2019 and 2021. The number of C. auris infections increased by 59%, to 756, from 2019 to 2020 and then by an additional 95%, to 1,471, in 2021. Findings state that C. auris has now been found in more than half of U.S. states. The CDC publication highlights the need for improved detection and infection control practices to prevent the spread of C. auris.
Up to 95% of all invasive Candida infections in the United States are caused by five species of Candida: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei. These five species and two additional targets, C. auris and C. dubliniensis, are detectable using the new Candida species multiplex from EGMDx.
EGMDx is an innovative company that realizes the need for flexibility and versatility to optimize lab infrastructure and capacity. The release of their Candida family of products has been anticipated by many hospital laboratories, including lab partners involved in developing the products. “Our Candida auris family of reagents is compatible with many open channel systems and can help optimize molecular lab equipment,” said Scott Johnston, General Manager. Johnston added, “We’re proud to have an agile team that can quickly respond to clinical and public health needs.”
EGMDx reagents are compatible with the company’s proprietary ELITe BeGenius® automated sample to result platform, in addition to third party open channel instrument systems. The company is a dedicated molecular diagnostics manufacturer offering reagents and instrument systems to detect infectious diseases.
Please visit www.elitechgroup.com/molecular-diagnostics-us to learn more.
*Analyte Specific Reagent. Analytical and performance characteristics are not established.
**For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
About ELITechGroup MDx LLC
ELITechGroup MDx serves the needs of clinical and research laboratories alike, offering an extensive range of molecular diagnostics products, including the fully automated sample-to-result ELITe BeGenius® and ELITe InGenius® instruments and a growing menu of infectious disease tests and reagents featuring innovative chemistries to optimize sensitivity and specificity. MGB Alert products utilize the original minor groove binder probe technology and offer the flexibility of PCR-based detection or melt curve analysis. DSQ Alert products feature the duplex stabilizing quencher, the latest evolution of hydrolysis probe-based real-time PCR. Other proprietary chemistries designed for optimum product performance include the original azo dye Eclipse® Dark Quencher, AquaPhluor® fluorescent dyes, and nucleotide Superbases™.
Contact
Scott Johnston, General Manager
Phone 925-495-9492
Email s.johnston@elitechgroup.com
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