Containing Spread of Antibiotic Resistant Infections: New HGS Test for C. difficile

Containing Spread of Antibiotic Resistant Infections: New HGS Test for C. difficile
Tuesday, 21 December 2010 14:32
Sydney, Australia – Resistance to antibiotics of the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) has been recorded in many hospitals and centres overseas, resulting in increased spread and deaths. In response to an ongoing Sydney outbreak of the antibiotic resistant strain of C. difficile, Human Genetic Signatures (HGS) announces wider availability of a new genetic test which allows for pre-emptive screening of these antibiotic resistant, hypervirulent C. difficile bacteria, and differentiates these more serious strains from other types of C. difficile.

The new genetic test, called “EasyScreen C. difficile Complete” helps to distinguish the strains of C. difficile that have evolved into the hypervirulent form that has caused severe illness and deaths overseas. These hypervirulent (027 and related) types of C. difficile are also known as the Quebec strain. They have killed 7% of those infected in Canada, with such infections particularly common in hospitalised patients and those in nursing homes.

A beta release of the EasyScreen C. difficile Complete identified the presence of the 027 strain in patients in northern Sydney hospitals, as advised by NSW Health on 17 December, 2010. The test can also identify other types of hypervirulent C. difficile such as the 078 strain. EasyScreen C. difficile Complete will be available “for research use” and is completed within 4 hours, requires minimal hands on time and is compatible with most types of equipment commonly found in molecular testing laboratories. The rapid and accurate nature of the EasyScreen C. difficile Complete allows for it to be used as a screening test for patients in order to prevent future outbreaks.

The EasyScreen C. difficile Complete uses HGS’ proprietary 3baseTM technology, which was invented in Australia. This test complements existing Human Genetic Signatures 3baseTM assays for detection of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Methicillin Resistant Staphlycoccus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and Hepatitis C (HCV).

Early detection in a 027 C. difficile outbreak, such as the one identified in Sydney hospitals, is critical. Delays can cause death and spread of the infection. Testing that previously took days to complete can now be performed in hours when using the HGS test, helping to quickly identify these dangerous strains of C. difficile. There is no doubt that screening for the new and deadly strains of C. difficile infection will help contain the spread of resistant C. difficile, and contribute to responses to this outbreak, and others like it.

For more information or comment contact: Dr. John Melki on +61 2 9870 7116

About Human Genetic Signatures
Human Genetic Signatures is a life science company based in Sydney, Australia. The company has been involved in microbial detection and human methylation signatures since 2001. It has sought patent protection and published methods for a variety of applications in these fields and is involved in kit distribution and licensing its technologies. Additional information about Human Genetic Signatures can be found at www.geneticsignatures.com and by contacting Dr. John Melki on +61 2 9870 7116 or via email on[email protected] .