Inverness Medical Get the Complete Picture: Introducing the new TECHLAB® C. Diff Quik Chek Complete™
24 September 2008
Inverness Medical is pleased to announce the launch of the new TECHLAB® C. Diff Quik Chek Complete™ rapid test as an in vitro diagnostic aid for Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD).
C. difficile is responsible for the most common form of hospital-acquired diarrhoea and antibiotic associated colitis. Although primarily a hospital acquired disease, the C. difficile infection is increasingly occurring in community outpatient settings. This is causing a major problem for hospital and community care settings, as the number of patients at risk of C. difficile infection is substantial. Highly infectious and extremely dangerous in the immunocompromised or elderly patients, Clostridium difficile infection can be life threatening.
The TECHLAB C. Diff Quik Chek Complete test detects glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and C. difficile toxins A and B in one simple assay and can be used for screening, while confirming the presence of toxigenic C. difficile strains. C. difficile antigen glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) is common to all strains of C. difficile and has been identified as an excellent screening marker for the infection. The TECHLAB C. Diff Quik Chek Complete test provides the complete picture.
The test provides results in less than 30 minutes from faecal samples, enabling rapid diagnosis and initiation of appropriate patient management. Patients can be effectively isolated at an earlier stage, reducing the risk of cross contamination and widespread outbreaks. In addition, the new TECHLAB C. Diff Quik Chek Complete test detects toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains, including the new hyper-virulent C. difficile strain BI/NAP1/027, which is causing outbreaks of increasing severity and mortality across Europe and North America.
TECHLAB continues to be at the forefront of C. difficile research and, along with Inverness Medical, are experts in the field of enteric diagnostics. They offer a wide range of testing formats for the detection of C. difficile antigen glutamate dehydrogenase and toxins A and B, that can suit all laboratory practice and preference.
The product will not be available initially in the US and Canada, as regulatory clearances are still in process.
