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QIAGEN announced the European launch of its RespiFast RG Panel, a molecular diagnostic kit that has received CE-IVD marking for the detection and differentiation of 22 pathogens that cause respiratory tract infections in humans.
In a single multiplex kit, RespiFast RG Panel provides highly sensitive, accurate results for a broad range of pathogens – 18 viruses and four bacteria – that cause acute upper respiratory tract infection (RTI). The respiratory panel is the first multiplex assay to run on QIAGEN’s flexible QIAsymphony automation platform.
“Clinicians need to have confidence in pinpointing the causes of respiratory tract infections – so they can treat the right pathogen to help each patient. The RespiFast RG Panel provides a highly sensitive tool that detects viral and bacterial infections simultaneously in a single test. Users have full confidence in the reliability of the results, ensured by both extraction and amplification controls,” said Thierry Bernard, QIAGEN’s Senior Vice President, Molecular Diagnostics Business Area. “For the diagnostic laboratory, RespiFast RG Panel offers the flexibility to automate sample preparation on QIAsymphony® SP or to manually extract nucleic acids. Our Rotor-Gene® Q MDx instrument then performs the DNA and RNA detection and delivers reliable results within three and one-half hours.”
Professor Ortwin Adams of the Department of Clinical Virology at the University of Düsseldorf, a co-founder of the RespiVir network in Germany, was one of the first clinical virologists to evaluate the kit. Comparing against a series of in-house developed Real-Time PCR assays, Dr Adams said: “The RespiFast RG Panel enables the rapid and reliable detection of a wide number of respiratory pathogens within a single assay, including both viral and bacterial causes of respiratory tract infections. RespiFast RG represents an excellent option for effectively managing patients with such respiratory infections.”
Respiratory tract infections are the most widespread human diseases, posing significant health threats to children, the elderly and immunocompromised patients. Early diagnosis of RTIs can help patients and healthcare systems by reducing intensive care and the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics.
The RespiFast RG Panel detects among 16 RNA viruses, two DNA viruses and four bacteria. The test panel was developed and manufactured by PathoFinder BV, a privately owned company based in Maastricht, the Netherlands. For additional details on the RespiFast RG Panel, please visit https://www.qiagen.com/de/shop/assay-technologies/complete-assay-kits/human-pathogen-detection/respifast-rg-panel-ce/.
