Diagnostics

Latest News

Time to Results Faster With Point-of-Care COVID-19 Testing

Point-of-care testing is associated with large reductions in the time to results for patients presenting with suspected COVID-19.

Performance of 5 Immunoassays for SARS-CoV-2 Compared

By

Sweta Gupta

A comparative assessment of 5 immunoassays for SARS-CoV-2 showed that these assays achieved sensitivity and specificity of at least 98%.

Diagnosing Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Pulmonary Disease Via Gastric Aspirate Culture

By

Virginia A. Schad, PharmD, RPh

In settings where acid-fast bacilli pulmonary diseases are suspected, gastric aspirate culture may be helpful for diagnosing Mycobacterium avium complex and M kansasii pulmonary disease.

Point-of-Care COVID-19 Antibody Test Gets Emergency Use Authorization

By

Brian Park, PharmD

The reissued EUA allows for fingerstick blood samples to be tested in point-of-care settings.

Sensitivity of 3 ICT Assays Higher During Intermediate, Late COVID-19 Stages

By

Sweta Gupta

Researchers compared 3 immunochromatographic assays (Sienna™, Wondfo®, and Prometheus™) to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in serum samples, using RT-qPCR as a reference.

Infection Risk Low in Patients With PJI and Concomitant Asymptomatic Prosthetic Implants

By

Sweta Gupta

There is a low incidence of second PJI in patients with bacteremia or hematogenous periprosthetic joint infection with concomitant prosthetic implants.

Caution Required When Using Supplementary Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for Gonorrhea

By

Zahra Masoud

Research results highlighted the need for continued supplemental NAATs for oropharyngeal samples being tested for Nisseria gonorrhoeae.

Abbott’s 15-Minute COVID-19 Antigen Test Gets Emergency Use Authorization

By

Brian Park, PharmD

Results are provided within 15 minutes and can be read directly from the testing card.

Exploring Potential Biomarkers for Severe COVID-19 and Moderate to Severe ARDS

By

Bradley van Paridon

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be a valuable biomarker to help clinicians recognize severe COVID-19 infection with moderate to severe ARDS.

Routine Hepatitis C Testing at Federally Qualified Health Centers Would Be Cost-Effective

Routine hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) would be cost-effective and could improve outcomes for people with HCV infections.

Novel Immunoassay Demonstrates Predictive Utility in PrEP Adherence, HIV Protection

By

Zahra Masoud

A novel tenofovir urine immunoassay demonstrated predictive utility and may adequately determine PrEP adherence.

Efficacy of Bundled HIV, HCV Testing for People With Substance Abuse Disorders Examined

By

Bradley van Paridon

By providing bundled HIV and HCV testing, substance use disorder treatment programs may create increased awareness of infection status among people with substance abuse disorders.

Research Needed to Establish Diagnostic Chest CT Criteria for COVID-19

By

Sweta Gupta

A team of researchers performed a systematic review to assess the methodologic quality of studies on the use of chest computed tomographic (CT) imaging in patients with COVID-19 and to determine the frequency of different chest CT findings.

Evidence Poor for Accuracy of Serological Tests for COVID-19

Existing evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of serological tests for COVID-19 is characterized by high risks of bias and heterogeneity.

Variation in Assays that Identify Early HIV Antibody Seroconversion

By

Zahra Masoud

A study evaluated 5 commercially available assays that are approved for HIV seropositivity confirmation and could be readily performed in clinical laboratories.

Validated Statistical Model Created to Predict the Risk of a Positive COVID-19 Test

By

Sweta Gupta

A team of investigators from the Cleveland Clinic developed a prospective registry of all patients tested for COVID-19 in their health system that was used to validate a model to predict the risk of an individual having a positive COVID-19 test result.

CDC: HIV Testing Occurs at <1% of Physician Visits

HIV testing occurs at less than 1 percent of physician office and emergency department visits and at less than 3 percent of community health center (CHC) visits.

Comparison of Commercial ELISA and Rapid Tests for Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2

By

Zahra Masoud

A team of investigators compared the sensitivity and specificity of 4 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and 2 rapid tests in patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Improved Algorithms Needed to Identify Intravenous Drug Use-Associated Endocarditis

By

Bradley van Paridon

A team of investigators reviewed data from institutions within the VA healthcare system to assess the ability of 2 algorithms to identify patients with intravenous drug use-associated infective endocarditis.

Initial Presentation Not Associated With Pathogen in Infectious Encephalitis

By

Bradley van Paridon

A team of French investigators sought to identify factors that could be considered predictive of the etiology of infectious encephalitis.