LexaGene Holdings, Inc. said it has successfully utilized its MiQLab System to detect the presence of multiple strains of pathogenic bacteria in polymicrobial samples that vary in their antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The company said these samples were missed by traditional Culture and Sensitivity Testing (C&ST), and the time-to-results were orders-of-magnitude faster for the MiQLab.
In a statement, Dr Jack Regan, LexaGene’s CEO and founder commented: “C&ST is viewed as the gold standard; however, it can generate false results1,2,3 and can take too long for routine use. In this study, LexaGene demonstrates that PCR testing is far better at reliably detecting a mixed culture, which is critical for improving patient outcomes, particularly if the minor pathogen population is resistant to the prescribed therapy.
"Not only is the MiQLab better in this regard, but it also provides results in ~2 hours rather than 5 to 11 days as observed in our study for C&ST. These two advantages can be significant enough to persuade many to adopt in-clinic PCR testing for routine use in medical and veterinary care settings.”
Polymicrobial infections can be defined as simultaneous or successive infections caused by two or more distinct microorganisms or genotypically different strains of the same pathogen in the same anatomical site. In the case of urinary tract infections (UTIs), there are reports that demonstrate as high as 39% of urine cultures in elderly patients show polymicrobial infections, while another study in veterinary medicine showed that 45% of the samples collected from companion animals were polymicrobial in nature and a high percentage were multi-drug resistant, and a third study showed that polymicrobial infections can cause flesh-eating wounds.
Dr.Manoj Nair, LexaGene’s director of Applications & Assay Development said: “I practiced as a veterinarian early in my career and found complicated and recurrent infections to be extremely frustrating for the pet owner and certainly distressing for the pet. The occasional failure of culture to detect the presence of polymicrobial infections may contribute to the challenge of successfully treating these infections after the initial visit. Having the MiQLab in clinics can help veterinarians to accurately diagnose even these troublesome infections and offer the best possible diagnostics and care to the clients.”
MiQLab Bacterial and AMR Test V2 detect 10 common pathogens and 33 genes and variants that confer resistance to four classes of antimicrobials (beta-lactams, lincosamides, sulfa-TMP, and tetracyclines).
LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing, and biodefense.
End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press ‘go’. The MiQLab system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in approximately two hours. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com