During IDWeek, the Cleveland Clinic presented results of a study demonstrating identification of pathogenic yeasts with Specific Technologies blood culture system with 97% accuracy 4 times faster (2 days sooner) than current standard practice.
Multiple yeast species were tested in blood to determine the speed and accuracy of identification. Detection of microorganisms in blood specimens using the Specific Technologies system was compared with the bioMérieux BacT/ALERT® system. The Cleveland Clinic study found that the metabolic sensor array detected yeasts 15% faster than the BacT/ALERT® system, and simultaneously provided species identification with 97.5% sensitivity. The BacT/ALERT system simply detects the presence of microorganisms, and requires 2 additional days to identify the yeast by current standard practice.
Specific Technologies system is a rapid, low cost method to detect and identify microorganisms during culture. The system combines incubation, detection, and identification into a single step, cutting the time to identification while lowering lab labor and equipment cost compared to current practice.
Without requiring any additional instrument or processing steps, the metabolic sensor system can deliver culture results before molecular and mass spectrometry (MALDI) methods even start.
Sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death, responsible for 11% of ICU admissions, with a mortality rate estimated at 28% to 50%, adding up to $50K costs per patient. To diagnose sepsis, more than 150 million blood cultures are performed globally each year. Time is of the essence, survival rates decrease every hour without effective antibiotic treatment. Current clinical practice typically takes 2 to 3 days to identify an effective antibiotic treatment.
Ray Martino COO of Specific Technologies commented, "During growth in culture, yeast produce small metabolic volatiles unique to each species and strain. The Specific Technologies system for identifying the microorganism from its metabolomic signature is an exciting new technology that can save precious hours critical in sepsis diagnosis and treatment."
IDWeek offers healthcare professionals in infectious diseases and related disciplines unparalleled access to credible research and innovative practitioners; more than 5,500 professionals from more than 80 countries attend. IDWeek was held earlier in the month in the Moscone Convention Center San Francisco.
About Specific Technologies
Specific Technologies has developed in vitro diagnostic systems for rapid identification of microorganisms to diagnose infections that lead to serious medical conditions including sepsis. The company's unique, patented, metabolomic signature technology identifies microorganisms during culture growth before existing technologies based on molecular or chemical tests can be deployed resulting in faster diagnosis with less labor and no additional instruments. Specific Technologies is located in Mountain View, CA.