via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Nephros, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEPH), a commercial-stage
company that develops and sells water purification products and
pathogen detection systems to the medical and commercial markets,
today announced the results of a study of water in buildings
affected by recent COVID-19-related shutdowns.
The manuscript describing the study is available on bioRxiv. The
research team collected 88 water samples from a diverse group of
buildings in four geographic regions, some of which have been
unoccupied during the COVID-19 pandemic. The microbial community
structure of each of the samples was analyzed using the Nephros
SequaPath microbial screening system. Key takeaways from the study
include:
- Bacterial counts in stagnant water samples from
unoccupied/under-occupied buildings were as much as 1,400
times higher than in buildings with normal occupancy and
water usage.
- More than 50 genera (families) of bacteria known to have at
least some pathogenic (i.e., disease-causing) members were detected
in approximately 60% of unoccupied building samples, compared with
35% in occupied building samples.
- Many of the bacterial genera that were detected are not
typically considered in water safety testing programs. Recent
guidance about water safety testing prior to re-occupancy focuses
almost solely on Legionella. In this study, however, Legionella was
found in only about 10% of the samples and, in samples where
Legionella was identified, it was not predominant.
Many office buildings and other facilities across the country
have been unoccupied and under-used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When buildings are unoccupied, water in building piping systems
becomes stagnant. The level of chlorine in the water (a
disinfectant used to inhibit microbial growth), decreases over time
and is rarely present in stagnant water. This results in conditions
known to support growth of bacteria, including many known to cause
disease.
“As we return to our normal routines, health and safety is
surely our number one priority,” commented Kimothy L. Smith, DVM,
PhD, Nephros Vice President of Pathogen Detection Systems. “This
study confirms that, following a long period of under-use, water
systems in the majority of unoccupied buildings across the country
may be colonized by pathogens, many of which are not considered by
most published guidance. In fact, the Legionella-centric approach
that is most frequently taken is not supported by the data from
this study. Negative results from water tested only for Legionella
are not sufficient to declare the building safe for re-occupancy,
and may put people in harm’s way by creating a false sense of
security. This study highlights the need for screening of the
microbial community structure as an important first step in
identifying pathogens of concern and determining risk-mitigation
measures.”
Daron Evans, President and CEO of Nephros, commented,
“Legionnaires disease, caused by Legionella, is the only
reportable, plumbing-associated waterborne disease. Guidance for
building water health, including microbial testing, has focused
almost exclusively on Legionella. However, in the last few years,
thought leaders in water and public health have expanded their
scope to include other clinically significant plumbing-associated
pathogens. Important new standards, such as ASHRAE 514, are
addressing multiple pathogens associated with building water
systems. At the cutting edge of this new, evolving approach,
Nephros has developed its SequaPath and PluraPath™ systems. With
streamlined 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology, SequaPath is able
to test for over 20,000 different bacterial genera in near-real
time, providing a simple yet powerful tool for screening the
microbial community structure of water samples from buildings. The
water can then be further analyzed for multiple pathogenic species
of concern in SequaPath-identified genera using Nephros PluraPath,
a robust qPCR-based platform. SequaPath and PluraPath systems and
services are available from Nephros and our partner network.”
The authors of the study are Kimothy L. Smith, DVM, PhD,
(Nephros) and Howard Shuman, PhD (University of Chicago and
Manhattan College), and Douglas Findeisen (Building Water Sampling
Services, LLC).
Disclosure:Nephros provided financial support
for the study.
Links:
- A pre-print of the study is here.
- A blog post about the study is here.
- More information about Nephros SequaPath system is here.
About Nephros:Nephros is a commercial-stage
company that develops and markets high-performance water
purification products and pathogen detection systems for medical
and commercial markets.
Nephros ultrafilters are used in hospitals, medical clinics, and
commercial facilities to retain bacteria and viruses from water,
providing barriers that aid in infection control for showers,
sinks, and ice machines. Nephros ultrafilters are also used in
dialysis centers to aid in the removal of endotoxins and other
biological contaminants from water and bicarbonate concentrate in
hemodialysis machines.
Nephros pathogen detection systems, including the PluraPath and
SequaPath systems, provide near-real time information on bacterial
genera, waterborne bacteria, and viruses to medical and water
safety professionals. These products integrate Nephros ultrafilters
with DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction
(qPCR) technology.
Nephros commercial filters, including AETHER™ brand filters,
improve the taste and odor of water, and reduce scale build-up in
downstream equipment. Nephros and AETHER products are used in the
health care, food service, hospitality, and convenience store
markets.
For more information about Nephros, please visit its website at
www.nephros.com.
Forward-Looking Statements:This release
contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various
risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements
regarding the PluraPath and SequaPath system capabilities,
marketability and sensitivities; and other statements that are not
historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by
the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,”
“anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,”
“believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. Actual results
could differ materially from those described in these
forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including
changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, lack of
acceptance of the PluraPath and SequaPath system or other
delays in a wide rollout of the system, and the availability of
financing or other capital when needed. These and other risks and
uncertainties are detailed in Nephros’ reports filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Nephros does not
undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking
statements in this release.
Contacts:
Investor RelationsKirin Smith, PresidentPCG
Advisory, Inc.(646)
863-6519ksmith@pcgadvisory.comwww.pcgadvisory.com
Media RelationsBill DouglassGotham
Communications, LLC(646)
504-0890bill@gothamcomm.comwww.gothamcomm.com
CompanyAndy Astor, COO & CFONephros,
Inc.(201) 345-0824andy@nephros.comwww.nephros.com
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