Cambridge, UK, 16th December 2008 … Lab21, a quality provider of healthcare diagnostic products and services, is expanding its clinical diagnostics portfolio with the introduction of a new service to identify the two most common causes of fungal pneumonia.
The CE marked test, FXGTM:RESP (ASP+), developed by UK diagnostic company Myconostica, will assist medical and scientific professionals to accurately and rapidly identify infections caused by both Aspergillus and Pneumocystis, which account for over 95% of cases of fungal pneumonia and could radically alter the diagnosis of fungal disease.
Fungal pneumonia is the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients and is the most common first manifestation of AIDS. Accurate diagnosis of fungal pneumonia followed by appropriate antifungal treatment within the first 10 days of infection reduces the mortality rate from 90% to 40%.
Traditional methods used to identify fungal pneumonia infections are well-documented as being inaccurate, insensitive and slow, with a result typically taking 8 to 10 days. New developments in molecular diagnostics using Myconostica’s system provide a much more rapid, sensitive and specific alternative to the traditional techniques used to identify Aspergillus and Pneumocystis infection.
Dr Berwyn Clarke, Chief Scientific Development Officer for Lab21 commented, “Survival rates in cases of fungal pneumonia are significantly improved by the early diagnosis of the cause of infection, particularly in the intensive care setting. This technology provides a huge advantage to the treating clinician because it allows them to make a much more accurate judgement on therapeutic treatment much earlier in the infection cycle. The service Lab21 offers provides a huge advantage to the treating clinician because it allows them to make a more accurate decision of therapeutic options much earlier in the infectious cycle which will improve patient outcomes and reduce the treatment costs associated with fungal disease”.
Dr Tony Cooke, Operations Director at Lab21 added, “The key issue in using this new service to its full capability is the rapid delivery of the result to the clinician. To address this we have put in place all the logistics required so that a simple call to Lab21 will result in the sample being picked up, tested and reported to the clinician with a 3 day turnaround time.”
Chief Executive Officer of Myconostica, John Garland commenting on Lab21’s implementation of the FXGTM: RESP (Asp +) assay, “Lab21’s commitment to rapid testing for Aspergillus and Pneumocystis using FXGTM: RESP (Asp +) is an approach supported by Myconostica. Myconostica are delighted that Lab21 will offer this assay as a service to their clients.”
