Rapid Identification and Strain-Typing of Respiratory Pathogens for Epidemic Surveillance

In a significant breakthrough in infectious disease surveillance, a team of scientists from Isis Pharmaceuticals' Ibis division, along with collaborators from the Naval Health Research Center and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), used the innovative TIGER biosensor system to rapidly identify the bacteria responsible for a severe outbreak of respiratory disease at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) in San Diego. The publication in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) describes the use of the TIGER biosensor system to analyze throat swabs taken during the outbreak, identifying the infectious agents and monitoring the potential spread of the epidemic.

Key Takeaways:

• The TIGER biosensor system was able to rapidly identify the bacteria responsible for the outbreak, including a particularly virulent strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, which was determined to be the primary cause of the infection.
• The system was able to analyze patient samples in two ways, allowing for a broad survey of all bacteria present at significant levels in clinical samples and the identification of specific strain types associated with the pneumonia.
• The study found that the use of the TIGER biosensor system facilitated rapid intervention and containment of the outbreak, with potential public health ramifications that are "staggering and limitless."
• The system's sensitivity and specificity were found to be remarkable, allowing for the identification and characterization of infectious agents using virtually any sample.
• The TIGER biosensor system has the potential to be used in biowarfare defense, epidemiological surveillance, microbial forensics, pharmaceutical process control, hospital-associated infection control, and infectious disease diagnostics.

Statistics:

• The TIGER biosensor system was able to analyze patient samples in real-time, facilitating rapid intervention and containment of the outbreak.
• The system's accuracy was remarkable, with the ability to determine the particular strain of the infectious agent and identify all bacteria present at significant levels in clinical samples.
• The study found that the use of the TIGER biosensor system had the potential to contain the outbreak more quickly and effectively than traditional methods, with implications for public health and national security.

Sources:

• Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISIS)
• The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
• Naval Health Research Center
• Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
• Health & Medicine Week via NewsRx.com (Copyright 2005)