Fungiplex® Candida Auris (RUO)

Fungiplex® Candida Auris

Fungiplex^® Candida Auris is a real-time, research use only (RUO) PCR assay for the rapid detection of Candida auris in hospital hygiene applications. The kit is used as an effective epidemiological tool for monitoring hospital environments, and as a research tool allowing the investigation of patient colonization.

The growing threat of Candida auris

C. auris is an emerging health threat¹ that has caused serious invasive fungal infections worldwide since its isolation in 2009. Resistance to the three major classes of antifungal drugs and ease of transmission in the healthcare setting make C. auris very difficult to treat, and hospital outbreaks serious. Rapid, reliable detection methods are now capable of improving environmental screening strategies and monitoring in healthcare institutions.

^1.A. Chowdhary et al. PLoS Pathog. (2017) 13(5): e1006290 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1006290

Clinical problem

C. auris can be relatively easily transmitted between patients, families and healthcare workers either directly, or through contaminated surfaces or equipment. By rapidly identifying sources of C. auris, appropriate infection control measures can be effectively implemented. The increasing incidence of multi-drug resistant outbreaks further compounds the problem.

The fungus causes invasive infections, primarily in the bloodstream, wounds and ear, with a high mortality rate of about 57%.² C. auris can be misidentified as other fungal species unless specialized laboratory technology is used, leading to incorrect treatment and the delay of potentially life-saving therapy.

^2. https://www.medicinenet.com/candida_auris_c_auris/article.htm

Time to results

The Fungiplex Candida Auris real-time PCR assay offers rapid species detection in a user-friendly format, with results from DNA extraction reported in under 2 hours and, as a member of the Fungiplex family of tests, can be run on multiple real-time PCR platforms under identical conditions.

Assay capabilities

The Fungiplex Candida Auris assay is designed to rapidly detect the presence of C. auris DNA extracted directly from samples, without culture. Fungiplex Candida Auris is specific for C. auris and does not cross-react with other closely related Candida species.

Species Detection

PCR is a sensitive and specific tool for C. auris detection. By providing rapid results without isolation of the organism, Fungiplex Candida Auris PCR could prove advantageous for infection control and patient management.