The CDC will use T2 Biosystems' T2Dx Instrument when testing possible samples of the superbug Candida auris, the emerging drug-resistant fungus that has been linked to hospital outbreaks around the globe.
CDC investigators will use the tool to detect the presence of C. auris on both patient skin samples and hospital environmental samples. The tool will also be used to validate a surveillance process for the superbug and assist workers in local public health labs looking to curb outbreaks.
"The development of a rapid diagnostic for Candida auris is needed to combat this emerging threat and to enable patients to receive life-saving medicines in the critical care window, while also isolating infected patients to prevent the spread of this disease throughout the hospital," said Cornelius Clancy, MD, chief of the infectious diseases section at Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh (Pa.) Healthcare System. "I am excited that the proven T2MR platform is being applied to solve this urgent public health need."
As of Aug. 21, the CDC has tallied 112 cases of C. auris infections in U.S. hospitals.
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