Rapid and reliable testing for viral diseases
28 July 2023Accurate, robust and easy-to-use molecular testing of viral meningitis/encephalitis is essential for optimal patient management. To address this challenge, Uniogen has launched a new automated PCR test.
Accurate, robust and easy-to-use molecular testing of viral meningitis/encephalitis is essential for optimal patient management. To address this challenge, Uniogen has launched a new automated PCR test.
The GenomEra HSV-1/2, VZV + EV Assay Kit provides rapid detection of the four most common viruses causing meningitis/encephalitis, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and enteroviruses (EV), from a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The GenomEra HSV-1/2, VZV + EV Assay Kit has a straightforward sample preparation protocol. To run a test, a 50-μL aliquot of CSF is simply mixed with lysis buffer and purified by a one-minute centrifugation using the extraction column provided with the kit. From the resulting flow-through, a 35-μL aliquot is transferred into the GenomEra Test Chip and analysed using the GenomEra CDX System, which provides results in only 70 minutes.
Molecular diagnostics made effortless
The GenomEra HSV-1/2, VZV + EV Assay Kit was evaluated at three institutions across Europe with a total of 193 clinical CSF specimens. The comparator assays included the FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis panel (bioMérieux), Xpert EV Assay (Cepheid), artus VZV assay (Qiagen), and a validated non-commercial realtime RT-PCR assay for HSV-1/2, VZV, and EV detection. In this study, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the GenomEra HSV-1/2, VZV + EV Assay Kit proved to be 92.2% and 99.9%, respectively.
aTaken together, the straightforward sample preparation and short time-toresult make the GenomEra HSV-1/2, VZV + EV Assay Kit a competitive molecular test suitable for small and medium-sized laboratories that may not have a specialist in molecular biology. Furthermore, since the assay requires only a tiny aliquot of the specimen, valuable CSF specimens are spared for potential further analyses.
