As winter approaches, clinical laboratories are preparing for an increase in test requests for certain seasonal pathogens, such as norovirus and Mycoplasma pneumonia .
The DiaSorin BUGS’n BEADS nucleic acid extraction kits, for use with the automated DiaSorin LIAISON Ixt/Arrow instruments, provide a highly-purified nucleic acid preparation from patient samples for sensitive and accurate molecular confirmation of these microorganisms.
Outbreaks of norovirus, also known as winter vomiting disease, can spread quickly in certain semi-closed environments and frequently cause ward closures in hospitals during the winter months. Human noroviruses cannot be grown in cell culture and so diagnostic methods focus on the detection of viral RNA or antigen.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is a common cause of atypical pneumonia. Since other, less-common etiological agents exist, which require a different course of treatment, identification of bacterial DNA in clinical samples has become increasingly important in establishing the cause of atypical pneumonia so that the optimal directed therapy can be provided for patients.
The sensitivity and accuracy of nucleic acid detection and amplification techniques can be reduced by interference caused by the complexity of the sample matrix. The magnetic bead technology harnessed by the DiaSorin extraction kits overcomes this problem by concentrating the target micro-organisms from a variety of sample matrices including urine, sputum, culture and swabs, and then providing a highly-purified nucleic acid extraction for downstream molecular analysis. No enzymatic pre-treatment or prior heat treatment is required.
The DiaSorin extraction kit solutions automate the purification and nucleic acid extraction process, reducing technician hands-on time and increasing sample throughput, making it ideal for the increasing workloads experienced during the winter months. The BUGS’n BEADS cartridges are simply loaded onto the LIAISON Ixt/Arrow instrument for up to 12 patient samples and, in less than 45 minutes, a high-yield, high-purity nucleic acid preparation is then ready for use in a number of downstream applications.
DiaSorin BUGS’n BEADS can be used for the extraction of nucleic acid from a variety of pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, enterovirus, MRSA, norovirus, Escherichia coli , Legionella, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydia pneumonia and Helicobacter pylori .
In addition to BUGS’n BEADS, DiaSorin nucleic acid extraction kits are available for: the extraction of RNA or DNA; the extraction of DNA from stool and blood samples; and cell separation.
