POC Test Uses Fingerstick Blood, Serum, Or Plasma Sample to Detect Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever is an acute febrile illness caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) and affects an estimated 11–21 million people globally each year, resulting in approximately 128,000–161,000 deaths annually. The disease remains a major global health challenge, particularly in low-resource settings and endemic regions. Current diagnostic tools are limited, complicating clinical decision-making and delaying appropriate treatment. This unmet clinical need has been further highlighted by recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance emphasizing the importance of typhoid vaccination and the parallel need for improved diagnostic tools to enhance disease surveillance, outbreak response, and patient care pathways. Now, a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for acute typhoid fever could help meet the clinical need.

Chembio Diagnostic Systems (Medford, NY, USA), a subsidiary of the Biosynex Group, is developing a rapid diagnostic test for the detection of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to diagnose acute infection caused by S. Typhi. The IgA antibody detection is intended to better identify acute infection, rather than previous infection or vaccination, representing the potential for a notable improvement in diagnostic accuracy over existing rapid tests for typhoid fever.

Chembio will develop the rapid serological test by leveraging its proprietary DPP (Dual Path Platform) technology, targeting two high-performance biomarkers (LPS and HlyE) to enable accurate and timely diagnosis of enteric fever. The DPP Typhoid test will be designed for use with fingerstick whole blood, serum, or plasma samples and is expected to deliver results within minutes when used with the DPP Micro Reader, a portable reader that applies test-specific algorithms to generate objective results.

Chembio has been awarded a USD 1.8 million grant from CARB-X to support the development of the rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for acute typhoid fever. The CARB-X award will also support Chembio’s work in differentiating between Salmonella species, characterizing test performance over a range of time points post-fever onset, and assessing performance on sample sets in Africa, where the disease burden is particularly high.

“We are honored to receive funding from the CARB-X to develop our innovative rapid test to detect acute typhoid fever and ensure timely, appropriate treatment and minimize selective pressure for antimicrobial resistance,” said Javan Esfandiari, President of Chembio.

“A rapid, fingerstick-based test that delivers reliable results at the point of care could significantly improve how typhoid fever is diagnosed in low- and middle-income countries, where access to laboratory infrastructure is often limited,” said Richard Alm, Interim Chief of Research & Development at CARB-X. “If successful, Chembio’s diagnostic capability can support better clinical decision-making, strengthen surveillance and stewardship efforts, and contribute to more effective management of enteric fever in high-burden settings.”

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Chembio Diagnostic Systems