SubscribeInverness Medical introduce new rapid urinary tests for pneumococcal pneumonia and legionella diagnosis.
Inverness Medical, a leading manufacturer of Rapid Immunodiagnostic Devices, offers two established rapid urinary tests which can provide fast and accurate information aiding in the diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella (Serogroup 1, the cause of >80 % of Legionnaires diseases cases), helping healthcare professionals around the world reduce patient mortality whilst providing more cost-effective and targeted antibiotic treatment.
The Binax NOW® Streptococcus pneumoniae Antigen Test is the only rapid urinary test on the market that can provide healthcare professionals with an accurate indication of an atypical pneumonia in just 15 minutes. The Binax NOW® Legionella Urinary Antigen Test can also be used if an initial test confirms S. pneumoniae is not present. Incidence of Legionnaires' Disease is widely believed to be underreported as few hospitals routinely test for the disease.
The Binax NOW® products offer healthcare professionals some significant advantages over more traditional methods of diagnosis. Conventional microbiological growth can be problematic and has significant time delays between sample collection and identification. Growth of S. pneumoniae is overnight whilst Legionella can take between 3 and 10 days, whereas the Binax NOW® urinary tests provide results in just 15 minutes.
Sample collection of blood and sputum is not straightforward and laboratory culture may fail to detect the disease. Sputum samples have to be evaluated first to eliminate saliva contamination, and around 10%-30% of patients may have a nonproductive cough. Failure to detect bacteria in blood samples is not uncommon as many patients are not bacteraemic. Bacterial carbohydrates from patients with S. pneumoniae and patients with Legionella are present in urine samples and can be accurately detected using Binax NOW® kits.
Binax NOW® rapid urinary tests are far simpler to use and require less formal training for clinical or laboratory staff to administer and perform correctly than either blood or sputum culture tests.
With respiratory guidelines in many countries now suggesting patient pathways should be followed to provide appropriate antibiotic treatment based on accurate diagnosis within 4 hours, Binax NOW® is one of a very few options available to healthcare professionals to meet these recommendations.
Many patients are still not being evaluated early with a rapid urinary test, so their symptoms are being treated with broad spectrum antibiotics that are often unnecessary and are contributing to the alarming rise in antibiotic resistance.
The Binax NOW® Streptococcus pneumoniae Test and Binax NOW® Legionella Test are easy-to-use, rapid, urine-based tests for both pneumonia and Legionnaires' Disease that aid physicians to accurately diagnose infection. This helps prevent the spread of the diseases, ensures that treatment is targeted appropriately and cost-effectively, thus reducing the risk of increased antibiotic resistance.