Rapid infection detection at Credence Genomics: Breakthrough of infectious diagnostics

Monday, 11 January 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The time has now come to stop taking unnecessary antibiotics. The increase in antibiotic intake can reduce your resistance. When you are struck with a real illness, the medicine you take may not even answer due to the overuse of antibiotics.

Credence Genomics Ltd. is now able to diagnose within 24 hours whether one has a bacterial or a fungal infection. This is a simple, cost efficient test which will tell you whether it is necessary for you to take antibiotics.

According to Credence Genomics Director Dr. Vaz Gnanam, Credence does not use conventional technology but a combination of molecular diagnostics and next generation sequencing which is 99.7% accurate. “It covers all known bacteria and fungi and is even sensitive to culture negative as well as mixed infections. Once the bacteria and fungi are identified treatment can be initiated. These tests will depict the species of the bacteria or fungi, its pathogenicity and relative abundance in the sample.”

This technology-developed at Credence has assisted the most chronic and resistant infectious cases at both government and private hospitals. The team utilises next generation sequencing, cutting edge technology used in molecular diagnostics, and identifies bacteria and fungi from any clinical (blood, biological fluid, swabs and tissue), environmental or industrial sample. They can identify the entire spectrum of known bacteria and/or fungi in one test. More importantly the test is easily affordable and in combination with its extreme accuracy is a useful tool to any clinician.

“One of the challenges faced by conventional technologies is the time taken to do a test along with its limited accuracy. At Credence, we can make the second stage of the results available to you within 48 - 72 hours, making it the fastest most precise test available globally,” said Dr. Gnanam.

In acknowledgment of the advanced approach to infectious diseases, Credence has received the support of many of the top clinicians who have applied the test to acute and chronic infections. “The advantage of a disruptive technology such as this is that it not only saves lives, but also increases the quality of life for all your loved ones,” said Gnanam.