Researchers from Oregon State Public Health Lab have confirmed the reliability of a simple, inexpensive test for carbapenemase-producing CRE, according to research presented at the 54th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Currently, polymerase chain reaction, a DNA-based test, is used for detecting CRE, which are known for their ability to resist major antibiotics. However, these types of tests are expensive and require a lot of equipment.
The new test, known as Carba NP, is less expensive and takes just hours to produce results.
The Oregon State Public Health Lab researchers evaluated the ability of Carba NP to identify clinical isolates as carbapenemase producers. They achieved 100 percent sensitivity.
"We conclude that the Carba NP test is highly sensitive, specific and reproducible for the detection of carbapenemase production in a diverse group of organisms," said Karim Morey of the Oregon State Public Health Lab.