WESTBROOK, Maine, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEXX
Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDXX), the global leader in rapid
microbiological testing for water, today announced that the IDEXX
Pseudalert® method has been published as the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) worldwide
standard 16266-2 for the 24-hour detection of Pseudomonas
aeruginosa in water. P. aeruginosa can cause
life-threatening infections in hospitals and is a frequent cause of
skin, ear, and eye infections from pool and spa water. Public and
private laboratories and healthcare and hospitality industry
facilities count on the Pseudalert method to monitor their water
for this pathogen.
ISO is a global, widely recognized organization focused on
ensuring that products and services are safe, reliable, and of good
quality. Becoming an ISO standard requires a rigorous process and
passing scrutiny of experts from all over the world. More than
160 national standards bodies are ISO members.
Listed under ISO 16266-2:2018, Water Quality—Detection and
Enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa–Part 2: Most Probable Number
Method, the Pseudalert method detects P. aeruginosa in
24 hours, less than half the time of other commercially available
methods. It also has high sensitivity and specificity, requires no
confirmation steps, and can be more easily used with water samples
that have high levels of background flora. Turnaround time is
especially critical in the healthcare and hospitality industries,
where receiving test results sooner enables facility managers to
act more quickly to clean their water systems and protect the
safety of patients and visitors. Faster turnaround time for
retesting after remediation also reduces the costs of clinical
downtime and closed facilities.
"King's College Hospital strives to maintain a bacteria-free
environment, and part of ensuring a clean facility is regular
testing for contaminants including Pseudomonas aeruginosa,"
said Paul Balaam, Senior Estates
Officer, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of
London's largest and busiest
teaching hospitals. "The IDEXX Pseudalert method's acceptance as an
ISO standard further validates that we are using the best solution
on the market for our testing needs."
The Pseudalert method is also included in country-specific
standards in Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and was shown to be as
accurate as or more accurate than the traditional method in two
independent studies published in peer-reviewed
journals.1,2
"IDEXX Water is the global leader in water microbiology,
committed to innovation in diagnostic technologies to improve the
safety of water worldwide," said Jonathan
Ayers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IDEXX
Laboratories. "Regular testing is critical to ensuring harmful
bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa stay out of the
water, and we hope the acceptance of the Pseudalert method as an
ISO standard helps ensure safe water and clean facilities for more
people."
The Pseudalert method's acceptance as an ISO standard marks the
second such ISO milestone for an IDEXX Water diagnostic. The IDEXX
Colilert®-18 method was published as an ISO standard
(ISO 9308-2) in 2012 and was included as one of the two reference
methods for coliforms and E. coli in the revised European
Union Drinking Water Directive in 2015.
For more information on the IDEXX Pseudalert Test, visit
www.idexx.com/water.
Contact:
Robin
Woodcock
robin-woodcock@idexx.com
References
- Sartory DP, Brewer M, Beswick A, Steggles D. Evaluation of the
Pseudalert/Quanti-Tray MPN Test for the Rapid Enumeration of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Swimming Pool and Spa Pool Waters.
Curr Microbiol. 2015;71(6):699–705.
- Sartory DP, Pauly D, Garrec N, et al. Evaluation of an MPN test
for the rapid enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in
hospital waters. J Water Health. 2015;13(2):427–436.
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SOURCE IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.