February 2019—Viracor Eurofins launched a 16S Next Generation Sequencing Bacterial Meningitis test for use in patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis. Physicians will receive test results for difficult-to-diagnose immunocompromised patients within three business days from specimen receipt.
Viracor Eurofins amplifies the 16S gene using PCR, followed by the use of next-generation sequencing, to identify and report the bacterial pathogen in a patient’s CSF sample. The assay was validated to include the most common bacterial pathogens associated with meningitis: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Escherichia coli as well as other less common pathogens that may be clinically important in immunocompromised patient populations.