Nanosphere to host webinar on molecular testing for GI pathogens

Nanosphere is hosting a complimentary 60-minute webinar on Wednesday, February 18, 2015

, at 1 pm EST (10am PST) focused on molecular testing for GI pathogens. The featured speakers are:

• David Peaper, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine; Director of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Yale-New Haven Hospital; and Director of Virology Reference Laboratory, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
• Marilyn Mitchell, MT(ASCP)MS, Microbiology Supervisor, Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno, California

The PACE-approved webinar will discuss how rapid molecular stool pathogen diagnostic testing may minimize the burden of diarrheal illness throughout the entire hospital and to healthcare providers worldwide.

The current diagnostic challenge associated with detection of community-acquired diarrhea is twofold. Since clinical presentation of diarrheal disease does not narrow down the potentially responsible pathogen(s), physicians often end up taking the “shotgun” approach to diagnostic testing by ordering testing for a majority of stool pathogens. If physicians are able to characterize the patient’s history, it could greatly narrow the number of diagnostic tests necessary for a given patient. On the diagnostic end, stool culture and ova and parasite (O&P) remain the gold standard diagnostics.

Rapid diagnostics for stool pathogens have only recently emerged as viable options for testing for community-acquired diarrhea, infections caused by environmental enteric bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Since treatment decisions can vary depending on the identity of the infectious agent and the overall health of the patient, rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites from a stool specimen is crucial.