(LEE’S SUMMIT, MO – December 12, 2018) – Viracor Eurofins announced the recent launch of a new 16S Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Bacterial Meningitis test for use in patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis. Physicians will receive test results for difficult-to-diagnose immunocompromised patients within 3 business days from specimen receipt. Knowing the specific pathogen involved in central nervous system (CNS) infection is crucial for selection of the appropriate therapeutic to achieve rapid recovery and to minimize the risk of permanent CNS damage. Viracor is expanding its test menu to include this and other NGS testing in support of enhanced pathogen detection and transplant rejection assessment.
Though the CDC reports an average of 4,100 bacterial meningitis cases per year in the United States, there is substantial mortality and long-term sequelae associated with the disease. Risk factors for meningococcal disease include age, certain medical conditions or procedures, working with causative pathogens and travel to regions where infections are endemic. The best methods of prevention for highrisk groups is to receive the pneumococcal vaccines (Prevnar® or Synflorix®), and meningococcal vaccines (Menactra® or Menveo®).
For immunocompromised patients, broad-range NGS on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be successfully leveraged to aid in an accurate and timely diagnosis, and to support treatment decisions and antimicrobial stewardship to help reduce the patient’s hospital stay.
“Unbiased sequencing methods provide a sensitive, specific approach to accurately identify the etiologic bacteria in CSF samples that are false-negative by culture. Providing these results with rapid turnaround time can potentially improve patient care,” said Steve Kleiboeker, PhD, HCLD/TS/CC (ABB), Vice President of Research and Development, Viracor Eurofins.
Viracor Eurofins amplifies the 16S gene utilizing PCR, followed by the use of next-generation sequencing, to identify and report the bacterial pathogen in the patient’s CSF sample. The assay was validated to include the most common bacterial pathogens associated with meningitis: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep) and Escherichia coli as well as other less common pathogens that may be clinically important in immunocompromised patient populations (HIV-positive, solid organ transplant or hematopoietic cell transplant patients).
Please visit https://www.viracor-eurofins.com/Bacterial-Meningitis-NGS for more information on related testing for meningitis on a CSF specimen type.
About Viracor Eurofins
With over 30 years of specialized expertise in infectious disease, immunology and allergy testing for immunocompromised and critical patients, Viracor Eurofins is committed to helping medical professionals, transplant teams, reference laboratories and biopharmaceutical companies get results faster, when it matters most. Viracor is passionate about delivering value to its clients by providing timely, actionable information, never losing sight of the connection between the testing it performs and the patients it ultimately serves.
Viracor is a 100 percent subsidiary of Eurofins Scientific (EUFI.PA), the global leader in bio-analytical testing, and one of the world leaders in genomic services. For more information, please visit www.eurofins.com and www.viracor-eurofins.com.
About Eurofins – a global leader in bio-analysis
Eurofins Scientific through its subsidiaries (hereinafter sometimes “Eurofins” or “the Group”) believes it is a scientific leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and in agroscience CRO services. It is also one of the independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, CDMO, advanced material sciences and for supporting
clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing in Europe and the USA. With over 45,000 staff in more than 650 laboratories across 45 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 150,000 analytical methods for evaluating the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin and purity of biological substances and products, as well as for innovative clinical diagnostic. The Group objective is to provide its customers with high-quality services, accurate results on time and expert advice by its highly qualified staff.
Eurofins is committed to pursuing its dynamic growth strategy by expanding both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology and analytical chemistry to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.
As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the expanding demands of regulatory authorities around the world.
The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN FR0000038259, Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP)