Microbiology time
June 10, 2022
Our scientific database has been updated with the most recent studies that take advantage of our products. This month’s top picks span from HPV self-collection to measles and antibiotic-resistant bacteria:
- Alice Avian and colleagues assessed whether HPV Selfy, a full-genotyping HPV DNA test, meets the international criteria for primary cervical cancer screening on clinician-collected and self-collected samples. HPV Selfy sensitivity and specificity resulted similar to the reference testing method, reaching adequate reproducibility. Moreover, this study demonstrated that the performance of HPV Selfy on self-collected vaginal samples was non-inferior to the performance obtained on clinician-collected cervical specimens.
- In the second study, published on Viruses, an Italian team of scientists investigated cases of measles breakthrough during surveillance activities in Milan and surrounding areas between 2017 and 2021. The researchers spotted measles virus infections in some of the vaccinated individuals tested, suggesting a vaccination failure – probably due to the poor immune response of single individuals – and highlighting the importance of identifying breakthrough cases and characterizing their clinical and virologic profiles.
- Annaleise R. Howard-Jones’ team describes in the third study an outbreak of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in a COVID-19 intensive care unit, discussing workable and efficient infection control measures. By isolating specimens from patients and the environment and performing whole genome sequencing analysis, the researchers identified a few isolates of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Infection control interventions – including careful adherence to contact precautions and hand hygiene, screening for multidrug-resistant organisms, strict antimicrobial stewardship, and enhanced cleaning protocols – promptly terminated the outbreak.
Discover the complete studies below, and see you in July!