Cepheid Xpert at Meningitis Testing
Cepheid, a Sunnyvale, CA molecular diagnostics company, got the nod from FDA today to market a rapid test for meningitis that differentiates between viral and bacterial forms of the infection. The product, Xpert EV, is designed to detect enterovirus (EV) RNA in cerebrospinal fluid by reverse-transcription, real-time polymerase chain reaction. It is the first test of its type to receive FDA clearance. Most meningitis cases are viral and resolve themselves within a week or 10 days. But bacterial meningitis, although rare, is potentially fatal. Unlike slower current EV testing methods, which deliver results in 3-7 days, Xpert EV test gives a result in less than 2.5 hours.
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