BioterrorismNew pathogen detection test dramatically reduces wait times
An Illinois based pharmaceutical company, recently introduced Plex-ID, a new detection system that can accurately identify seventeen different dangerous biological pathogens; the system fills a critical gap in detection capabilities as it can analyze direct samples like blood, food, water, or air filters and provide results in less than eight hours; current blood and tissue tests take three or more days; in the event of a biological attack, detecting pathogens in infected persons is critical as these people will continue to spread the disease unless quarantined; the Plex-ID system has already helped identify an unknown disease in Afghanistan; after eighty-three people became sick with a mysterious disease and seventeen people died, the Plex-ID system accurately identified the disease as bubonic plague when other tests failed
Abbott, an Illinois based pharmaceutical company, recently introduced Plex-ID, a new detection system that can accurately identify seventeen different dangerous biological pathogens and deliver results in less than eight hours.
According to David Ecker, the divisional vice president and general manager of Ibis Biosciences, an Abbott subsidiary, the device fills a critical gap in bio-defense and public health.
“While public health officials concerned with bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases are detecting known, conventional infectious agents, it’s becoming very clear there is a need for broader detection and characterization of pathogens for bio-defense,” he said.
In the event of a biological attack or a large outbreak, detecting pathogens in infected persons is critical as these people will continue to spread the disease to others unless quarantined. Having accurate and timely data can allow public health officials to swiftly react to any outbreaks and contain their spread.
The Plex-ID system addresses this gap by quickly “identifying and quantifying” a broad set of known pathogens which include bacteria and families of viruses.
The system can analyze direct samples like blood, food, water, or air filters and provides results in less than eight hours. Currently it takes three or more days to obtain results from blood and tissue tests.
The Plex-ID system has already proven effective after it helped identify an unknown disease in Afghanistan.
In December of 2007 in Afghanistan’s Nimorz province, eighty-three people suffered from high fever, severe vomiting, and diarrhea after consuming camel meat. Seventeen people died of their symptoms and officials suspected an anthrax attack.
Using an earlier version of the Plex-ID system, researchers analyzed blood and tissue samples to discover that the disease agent was actually Yersina pestis, a bacterial strain found in bubonic plague.
This was the first known incident of plague in Afghanistan and other tests failed to accurately identify the pathogen.
Tim Motley, the principal scientist at Ibis Biosciences, said that the case was indicative of Plex-ID’s broad capabilities in identifying and characterizing infectious disease agents before they spread.
“With the PLEX-ID technology, we were able to genetically characterize the strain, identify its unique genetic structure and develop a microbial forensic marker that could be used to identify this strain should future outbreaks occur,” he said.
National security officials fear that terrorists will use a biological agent in an attack as they are far easier to obtain than nuclear weapons and can cause mass casualties.
Bob Graham, a former Senator from Florida and the head of a 2007 Congressional blue ribbon commission on bio-threats, said, “The consequences of a biological attack are almost beyond comprehension. It would be 9/11 times 10 or a hundred in terms of the number of people who would be killed.”
