The implementation of active surveillance programs aimed at preventing the spread of strains of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae spp. is now a necessity in many countries. These programs are used to quickly identify and isolate patients with serious infections due to aggressive pathogens resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics in particular to the class of carbapenems such as imipenem and meropenem which are in many cases the last line of therapy. For these reasons they are difficult to eradicate and particularly hazardous if present in patients admitted to hospital critic wards as intensive care units.

The new Alifax HB&L Carbapenemase kit provides report of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae spp. presence/absence from 1 hour to 6 h 30 min thus supporting the active surveillance of MDRO.

FROM SAMPLING TO CARBAPENEMASE-PRODUCING ENTEROBACTERIACEAE SCREENING WITH LIGHT SCATTERING TECHNOLOGY

• The PENOK SWAB and HB&L CARBAPENEMASE KIT are conceived for the collection and the rapid detection of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae from rectal swab samples.
• PENOK SWAB is the new patent-pending device for the collection of samples with a specific hollow cotton swab.
•  A simple squeeze of the tube allows to carefully aspirate the selective media for the Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae spp.

• The flow of the aspired media through the swab allows the spread of bacteria in nutrient broth.
• PENOK SWAB can be loaded directly into Alfred60^AST and Sidecar systems to perform the analysis within 6 hours in fully automation.

• Using the patented technology based on light scattering Alifax systems are able to monitor the bacteria replication activity from the inoculum step into selective culture broth providing real time growth curves.
•  Results are reported as negative or positive with an estimation of the count in CFU/ml.
• Broths are in sterile vials with pierceable unscrewed seals, thus considerably reducing contaminations.
• Samples are incubated at 37°C and constantly mixed avoiding sedimentation, flotation and growth anomalies typical of several micro-organisms.
• HB&L CARBAPENEMASE KIT is suitable for PENOK SWAB or swabs with liquid transport medium (liquid swab).
• The bacterial suspension obtained  at the end of the analysis is sufficiently enriched to perform further biochemical tests either phenotypic or genotypic confirmation tests.