MicroGen DX Next-Gen DNA Sequencing identifies joint replacement infections

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital teamed up with MicroGen DX, the world leader in Microbial Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS), to identify infecting organisms in over 80% of joint replacement infections that had previously gone undetected by traditional culture methods.

Lubbock, United States - January 16, 2018 /PressCable/ —

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital teamed up with MicroGen DX, the world leader in Microbial Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS), to identify infecting organisms in over 80% of joint replacement infections that had previously gone undetected by traditional culture methods.

Investigators at Jefferson compared the relative ability of culture and NGS to detect organisms in infected and non-infected revision cases to determine the sensitivity and utility of MicroGen DX and its advanced microbial diagnostic method. The results showed that NGS identified organisms in 89% of infected cases versus 61% with culture. Furthermore, 81% of culture-negative infected joint replacement patients were picked up by NGS, who would have been missed by the culture alone.

“Established guidelines suggest the use of microbiological culture to identify organisms, which involves growing samples in different environments in the laboratory. However, this process has changed little since its discovery by Robert Koch in the 1880s, and is inadequate at isolating infective organisms in 30-50% of clinical situations.” explains Dr. Javad Parvizi, Vice Chairman of Research and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University.

The recent attention of Next-Gen DNA Sequencing in other fields of medicine provided the basis for testing its clinical application in the orthopedic setting. The success of NGS in the Jefferson Study leads Dr. Parvizi and other medical professionals to believe the use of NGS technology can help orthopedic surgeons provide targeted treatment for patients with suspected joint infections and prevent the devastating consequences of an infected joint.

“In the future, we will be moving away from the primitive technique of culturing organisms to using molecular techniques and genomics” says Dr. Parvizi. “I’m thrilled that MicroGen DX’s advancements in methodology and instrumentation are making NGS a viable tool to be used in clinical practice.”

MicroGen DX’s CEO, Rick Martin, is equally optimistic. “The implications of this study extend well beyond orthopedic infections. The team at MicroGen DX is working hard to bring state of the art diagnostic technology to physicians and help improve patient outcomes. The research is due for publication on January 17, 2018 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

About MicroGen DX

MicroGen DX is the global leader in molecular testing services through PCR and Next Generation DNA Sequencing to identify microbes in human and animal samples. We are a

state-of-the-art CAP accredited, CLIA licensed Molecular Diagnostic facility backed by a team of molecular biologists, biochemists, bioinformaticians, computer scientists, and physicians. Our advanced instrumentation provides the industry’s most informative microbial diagnostic tests for Urology, ENT, Orthopedic, Wound Care, and other areas of medicine.

Contact Info:
Name: Rick Martin
Email: [email protected]
Organization: MicroGen DX
Address: 4321 Marsha Sharp Fwy , Lubbock, TX 79407, United States
Phone: +1-855-208-0019

For more information, please visit https://microgendx.com

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 288182