Infectious Disease Panel Expanded to Include STD

Target Enriched Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (TEM-PCR) allows the quick and accurate detection of many communicable diseases.

A sexually transmitted disease (STD) panel and a Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel are now available that are highly sensitive with rapid response diagnostic capabilities. The STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, and the HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2.

TEM-PCR is the first diagnostic technology introduced to the clinical market that can identify multiple pathogens, both viral and bacterial, detect coinfections and highly transferable genetic antibiotic resistances simultaneously. The two panels are manufactured by DIATHERIX Laboratories, (Huntsville, AL, USA) using the company's proprietary TEM-PCR technology. The STD panel tests for the following organisms: Atopobium vaginae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Haemophilus ducreyi, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Treponema pallidum, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Dennis Grimaud, chairman and CEO of DIATHERIX, Inc., said, "This STD Panel will return accurate results the same day the specimen is received, providing appropriate diagnosis and therapy resulting in a reduction in the improper utilization of antibiotics." The company states that their test panel identifies more STD organisms in one sample than any other commercially available test on the market. Healthcare providers now have the option to select both the STD and HSV panel as they can test for a total of twelve pathogens at the same time.

These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydial infection, bacterial vaginosis, and may lead to blindness, infertility, or complications during pregnancy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA), estimates there are approximately 19 million new STD cases each year.

Related Links:
Diatherix Inc.
CDC