Dade Behring gets go-ahead for bacteria detectors

Dade Behring has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use of its rapid-result microbiology tests that detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Technology used in the firm’s MicroScan "Synergies plus Gram-positive panels" enables same-day test results for detecting certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause serious health threats in a hospital environment.

Antibiotic resistance prolongs illness in patients and increases the cost of health care resulting from more hospital admissions, longer hospital stays and the use of expensive antibiotics.

"Dade Behring feels strongly about addressing this global health issue and continues to develop automated microbiology tests that identify the latest antibiotic-resistant bacteria," said Jim Reid-Anderson, president of Dade Behring.

"By more quickly confirming the diagnosis of an antibiotic-resistant infection, physicians can treat patients and mitigate life-threatening infections from spreading to others in the hospital environment," he pointed out.

This is particularly important as more strains of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.