DIATHERIX Laboratories opens rapid response diagnostic panels for STD, HSV

DIATHERIX Laboratories ,adds a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) panel and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel to its line up of highly sensitive, rapid response diagnostic panels. The HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 and the STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, many of which cannot be accurately identified by current testing methods. These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, etc. and may lead to blindness, infertility or complications during pregnancy.

"Without a diagnostic tool that is both fast and accurate, STDs will continue to increase in their resistance to antibiotics," said Dennis Grimaud, chairman and CEO of DIATHERIX, Inc. "This STD Panel will return accurate results the same day the specimen is received, providing appropriate diagnosis and therapy resulting in a reduction in the improper utilization of antibiotics."

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are approximately 19 million new STD cases per year so the development of a test with these capabilities has become increasingly important," said Grimaud. "Our test panel identifies more STD organisms in one sample than any other commercially-available test on the market and since healthcare providers have the option to select both the STD and HSV panel they can test for a total of twelve pathogens at the same time."

The STD panel tests for Atopobium vaginae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Haemophilus ducreyi, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Treponema pallidum, Trichomonas vaginalis and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

The STD and HSV panels will be added to the other testing panels DIATHERIX has developed which include the Infectious Disease Panel; Staphylococcus Differentiation Panel; Respiratory Infections Panel; Gastrointestinal Panel; Human Papillomavirus Typing Panel; Bacterial Pneumonia Panel; Viral Respiratory Panel and Clostridium Difficile Panel. All panels use the company's proprietary technology, which is target enriched multiplex polymerase chain reaction (TEM-PCR). TEM-PCR is the first diagnostic technology introduced to the clinical market that can identify multiple pathogens, both viral and bacterial, detect co-infections and highly transferable genetic antibiotic resistances simultaneously.