QuikRead go® easy CRP: a perfect fit for the Hospital-at-Home model
C-reactive Protein (CRP) testing is one of the tools used in primary and community care for the detection and evaluation of infection, tissue injury and inflammatory disorders. Appropriate point-of-care CRP testing in the community supports quick and easy diagnosis and can aid identification of patients who would benefit from antibiotics. In this case study, we hear from Caroline Essenhigh, Matron at…
Read MoreEvaluation of TECHLAB® kits for the detection of common faecal parasites
Work completed by Martine Jensen and Karen Webster, Senior Biomedical Scientists, Ellie Cooper and Ben Stones, Biomedical Scientists, Microbiology laboratory at Hull Royal Infirmary Report written by Carolyne Horner: 04.02.22 Background Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and Entamoeba histolytica are causative agents of notifiable infectious diarrhoeal disease. Faecal parasites in stool samples are commonly detected and…
Read MoreEvaluation of the NG-Test® Blood Culture Prep Kit alongside NG-Test® CARBA-5
Work completed by Emily Ward-Williams, Biomedical Scientist, Department of Microbiology, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield Report written by Carolyne Horner: 14.12.21 Una Health welcome customer feedback about their range of products as this informs the company about suitability for the UK market. With this in mind, Una Health asked the team in the Department of Microbiology,…
Read MoreVerification of the MCR-1 NG Biotech kit for the detection of mobilised colistin resistance in Enterobacterales
Work completed by Laura Campbell, Senior Clinical Biomedical Scientist, and Dr Massimo Mentasti, Senior Biomedical Scientist, at the Specialist Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Unit (SACU), Public Health Wales, Cardiff Report written by Carolyne Horner: 29.11.21 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important threat to human health. Some strains of bacteria, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, are known to be resistant…
Read MoreValidation of the Fortress Diagnostics COVID-19 Total Antibody Assay
Work completed by Jake Walker, Associate Practitioner, Department of Microbiology, South of Tyne and Wear Pathology Laboratory Text written by Jake Walker and Carolyne Horner Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has so far resulted in >200 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and >4 million…
Read MoreCRP point of care testing in the assessment of lower respiratory tract infections in South Powys
IntroductionIn October 2018, Red Kite Health Solutions introduced a pilot of point of care (POC) testing for CRP in to the four practices in South Powys. The pilot followed NICE guidelines with regards to the diagnosis and management of pneumonia in adults to help support clinical decisions with regards to patients presenting withsymptoms of lower…
Read MoreUse of the CTX-M Multi NG Biotech Test for the detection of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales in a routine microbiology laboratory
Work completed by Anna Senior, Student/Medical Laboratory Assistant and Whiston Hospital Microbiology Department Text written by Anna Senior and Carolyne Horner Enterobacterales that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are an important group of Gram-negative bacteria that cause a wide range of infections and may be resistant to multiple classes of antimicrobial agents. ESBLs fall largely into…
Read MoreUse of the CTX-M and CTX-M Multi NG Biotech Tests in the development of new technologies to detect antibiotic resistance
Dr Lisa M Miller, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of York Written: 21.06.21 Our work is focused on the development of new technologies to detect antibiotic resistance. We work closely with clinicians at York Teaching Hospital NHS Trust with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Our research has…
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