Infectious Disease

Despite widespread immunization for many childhood illnesses and the use of antibiotics, infectious diseases remain a very real public health threat. New diseases continue to emerge and old diseases rebound, sometimes in drug-resistant forms. In fact, the number deaths from infectious disease has been increasing in some industrialized countries.

The catalogue of infectious diseases is today enormous, ranging from common sexually transmitted infections like Chlamydia to Helicobacter pylori, a cause of gastritis and duodenal ulcers, from Herpes simplex virus to Lyme disease, from measles, mumps and rubella to shingles.

Inverness Medical Professional Diagnostics now has one of the world's largest infectious disease test menus, including new multiplexed, fluorescent, bead-based systems for detection of the Epstein-Barr virus. Also available are more than 50 IFA, rapid lateral flow tests, ELISA and serology/agglutination tests, giving health care providers and laboratories an extensive array of options from which to choose.

Products brands available:

Inverness Medical TestPack^®

Panbio^®

TechLab^®

Blood-borne Pathogens

By far, the world's most serious blood-borne infection - in both developed and developing countries - is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). By infecting and gradually destroying the immune system, HIV reduces the body’s defences against cancers, pneumonia and a number of opportunistic infections that can take hold and lead to death.

While treatment of identified cases has improved dramatically with the introduction of active antiretroviral therapy in the 1990s, progress remains frustrated by significant numbers living unknowingly with the disease and likely to transmit to others.

As ongoing transmission is a matter of global public health concern, the barriers to HIV screening have been relaxed in many countries. And high risk groups, such as male homosexuals and IV drug users, are encouraged to be tested frequently.

Hepatitis, another prevalent blood-borne pathogen, is an inflammation of the liver and is caused by one of five viruses – A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection and remains endemic in large areas of the world.

HBV is easily transmitted and, like HIV, can occur through direct blood-to-blood contact, sexual contact, use of un-sterile needles, child to child in endemic areas and from a mother to her baby during the delivery process.

In many developing countries almost all children become infected with the virus and can carry and transmit HBV for many years beyond childhood. Left untreated in the body, the virus can develop into chronic hepatitis B, which can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Liver failure is almost always fatal.

The Panbio brand is a world leading Dengue Fever product supplying a whole range of Rapid and ELISA tests for this tropical disease alongside a further range of products for other Tropical Diseeses.

Around one-third of the world's 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS are co-infected with tuberculosis. The new Clearview TB ELISA test uses antibodies specific to the antigen lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a specific and reliable diagnostic target in the urine of TB/HIV co-infected patients, to identify mycobacterial infection. Clinical data shows that, while microscopy methods detect TB at rates as low as 20 percent, targeting the LAM antigen in co-infected populations using the Clearview TB ELISA can produce detection rates up to 80 percent.

Products available:

BinaxNOW^® Filariasis
BinaxNOW^® Malaria
Clearview^® TB Elisa

Clearview^® Complete HIV 1/2

Clearview^® HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK
Clearview ^®Malaria P.f*
Clearview^® Malaria P.f./Pan*

Determine^® HIV-1/2

Determine^® HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo

Determine^® HBsAg

Determine^® Syphilis TP

DoubleCheckGold™ HIV 1&2

DoubleCheckGold™ Ultra HIV 1&2

Panbio^® Dengue Early ELISA

Panbio^® Dengue IgM Capture ELISA

Panbio^® Dengue IgG Capture ELISA
Panbio^® Dengue IgG Indirect ELISA

Panbio^® Duo IgM & IgG Capture ELISA

Panbio^® Dengue Duo Cassette

www.pimatest.com

*To be commercially available in March 2009

Respiratory Infections & Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI)

Upper respiratory tract infections caused by mononucleosis and Group A Streptococcus are common causes of pharyngitis and sore throat. About 15 percent of all sore throats are caused by Group A Streptococcus. Infectious mononucleosis also produces symptoms of fever and swollen lymph glands, and takes its name from the appearance of infected white blood cells and an increase in the number of monocytes. Mononucleosis is caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the most common human viruses. As many as 95 percent of adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected with EBV sometime during their lives.

Streptococcus is similarly a major cause of upper respiratory infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and scarlet fever. Early diagnosis and treatment of Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms and further complications. Streptococcus pneumoniae, a more serious organism of the respiratory tract, is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Pneumococcal pneumonia has a mortality rate as high as 30 percent in older age groups.

Legionella pneumophila is associated with Legionnaires disease which has similar clinical presentation to pneumonia’s caused by more common bacteria so it is important to test for Legionella when diagnosing pneumonia patients.

Just as potentially serious, influenza is a highly contagious, acute, viral infection also affecting the respiratory tract. It is a communicable disease easily transmitted through the coughing and sneezing of aerosolized droplets containing live virus. Influenza outbreaks usually occur each year and can affect as many as 20 percent of adults.

Clostridium difficile is commonly found in the large intestine and is major cause of hospital acquired diarrhoea in many countries. Infections often occur after long term antibiotic treatment that kills other bacteria in the gut, thus allowing Clostridium difficile to flourish. It can cause a life threatening illness particularly in the elderly.

Products available:

Acceava^® H.pylori

Acceava^® Strep A

Acceava^® Strep A Twist

Acceava^® Mono

BinaxNOW^® RSV

BinaxNOW^® Strep A

BinaxNOW^® Streptococcus pneumoniae

BinaxNOW^® Influenza A & B

BinaxNOW^® Legionella

Legionella Urinary Antigen EIA

Clearview^® IM