title: Evaluation of the NanoCHIP® Gastrointestinal Panel (GIP) Test for Simultaneous Detection of Parasitic and Bacterial Enteric Pathogens in Fecal Specimens.
abstract: Infectious gastroenteritis is a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial to allow appropriate and timely treatment. Current laboratory stool testing has a long turnaround time (TAT) and demands highly qualified personnel and multiple techniques. The need for high throughput and the number of possible enteric pathogens compels the implementation of a molecular approach which uses multiplex technology, without compromising performance requirements. In this work we evaluated the feasibility of the NanoCHIP® Gastrointestinal Panel (GIP) (Savyon Diagnostics, Ashdod, IL), a molecular microarray-based screening test, to be used in the routine workflow of our laboratory, a big outpatient microbiology laboratory. The NanoCHIP® GIP test provides simultaneous detection of nine major enteric bacteria and parasites: Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, Dientamoeba fragilis, and Blastocystis spp. The required high-throughput was obtained by the NanoCHIP® detection system together with the MagNA Pure 96 DNA purification system (Roche Diagnostics Ltd., Switzerland). This combined system has demonstrated a higher sensitivity and detection yield compared to the conventional methods in both, retrospective and prospective samples. The identification of multiple parasites and bacteria in a single test also enabled increased efficiency of detecting mixed infections, as well as reduced hands-on time and work load. In conclusion, the combination of these two automated systems is a proper response to the laboratory needs in terms of improving laboratory workflow, turn-around-time, minimizing human errors and can be efficiently integrated in the routine work of the laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Regional Laboratory Haifa and Western Galilee, Clalit Health Services, Nesher, Israel.
authors.forename: Shifra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ken Dror
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Regional Laboratory Haifa and Western Galilee, Clalit Health Services, Nesher, Israel.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlotzky
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Regional Laboratory Haifa and Western Galilee, Clalit Health Services, Nesher, Israel.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D010271:Parasites / Q000235:genetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies