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“NGS has the potential to dramatically revolutionize the clinical microbiology laboratory by replacing current time-consuming and labor-intensive techniques with a single, all-inclusive diagnostic test.”

– Report on American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium, 2015

Improve pulmonary infection diagnosis and management with DNA diagnostics from MicroGenDX

Culture-based antibiotics not working for your patients? Switch to molecular.

 

 

qPCR vs NGS

MicroGenDX DNA diagnostics are faster than culture, have higher sensitivity, are not affected by transport temperature or time, have a over 15-year CAP-verified accuracy of 99.2% — and your patients can take the test kit home to collect and submit a sputum sample directly to the MicroGenDX lab. If your patients have already received recent antibiotic treatment, then additional culture tests will not work. MicroGenDX qPCR+NGS results are not impacted by antibiotic use. Also included with every test are detection of 17 antimicrobial resistance genes and antimicrobials for consideration based on the Sanford and Johns Hopkins Guides.

For bronchiectasis, COPD, NTM infections, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and HAP/VAP, MicroGenDX qPCR + Next-Gen DNA Sequencing (NGS) also identifies mycobacteria, anaerobes, and fungi that culture does not. MicroGenDX test results available in just 3.5 days, and antimicrobial resistance genes in just 24-48 hours.

MicroGenDX tests also utilize an AMA-approved, Medicare-accepted PLA code that results in a much lower cost to insurance and patients than competing labs. And although take-home collection kits allow patients convenience in sputum collection, BAL and swab samples are also accepted.

Clinical research demonstrates that MicroGenDX qPCR+NGS offers a more comprehensive view of infective organism interrelationships and identifies mycobacteria and fungi more quickly (3.5 days) than techniques relying on routine culture. Additional examples of qPCR+NGS advantages supported by research include:

  • Rapid and reliable identification of mycobacteria, polymicrobial, and anaerobic organisms involved in aspiration pneumonia
  • Facilitation of personalized diagnosis and therapy for patients with chronic lung diseases and/or infections that improves patient outcomes
  • Molecular studies suggest that microbiota profiles of CF patients were patient-specific and remained stable over time. Read study

Better diagnosis and outcomes for pneumonia patients

  • In an outcome comparison study, 28-day and 90-day mortality of NGS diagnostics groups were significantly lower than the control group for severe pneumonia. Access study

  • In more than 60% of cases, despite radiographic evidence of pneumonia, bacterial or viral organisms cannot be identified using traditional methods. Read study
  • Sputum culture and chest X-rays continue to be relied on, but the former lacks sensitivity and has an extended turnaround time, and the latter lacks specificity. Access study
  • A 61-year-old male had been diagnosed with severe pneumonia and treated with empiric broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal drugs before bronchoscopy was performed. The patient responded poorly to those empiric treatments. Three fungi were found by NGS in the BALF: Pneumocystis jirovecii, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Rhizopus oryzae. Patient clinical improvement was achieved after adjusting to appropriate therapy based on NGS results. Read study

How MicroGenDX compares to the competition

National Jewish HealthMicroGenDX
Take-home testing kitNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
NGS sequencing platformNational Jewish HealthIllumina MiSeqMicroGenDXIllumina MiSeq
NGS turnaround timeNational Jewish Health>15 daysMicroGenDX3.5 days
BacteriaNational Jewish Health√MicroGenDX√
MycobacteriaNational Jewish Health√MicroGenDX√
FungiNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
Resistance genes
MacrolideNational Jewish Health√MicroGenDX√
AminoglycosideNational Jewish Health√MicroGenDX√
MethicillinNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
VancomycinNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
ESBLNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
CarbapenemaseNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
TetracyclineNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
Beta-LactamNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
BactrimNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
FluoroquinolonesNational Jewish Health–MicroGenDX√
Show References

PATIENT TYPES:

Bronchiectasis, COPD, NTM infections, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, HAP/VAP

Cystic fibrosis infection management

When compared to DNA sequencing analysis, “routine CF culture may underrepresent significant segments of the bacterial communities inhabiting CF airways.”

In 18% of samples, taxa comprising 75% or more of the bacterial density were not reported in culture. In 33% of the 945 samples, species not reported in culture represented at least 50% of the bacterial load. Culture-independent analyses offerings estimates of species relative abundance in mixed microbial communities may offer a clearer distinction between upper airway contaminants (low relative abundance) and taxa most likely to be infecting the lower airways (high relative abundance).

Read study