Acute respiratory infection is a worldwide health problem that currently accounts for 30-40 % of hospital admissions among children. A wide range of both viral and bacterial pathogens are involved in these types of infections. It is difficult to differentiate the pathogens by simply analyzing the patient’s symptoms given that they overlap.
It is vitally important to quickly identify the agent causing the respiratory infection and, particularly, whether it has a viral or bacterial source, in order to:
- enable better use of antimicrobials, including anti-virals and antibiotics.
- limit the development of bacterial resistances.
- lead to fewer paraclinical examinations and shorter hospitalizations.
- support the rapid implementation of isolation measures when required, reducing the risk of nosocomial transmission.
- help with real time epidemiological data collection about the seasonal spread of pathogens.
- help to identify simultaneous or successive infections.
The Respiratory Bacterial Panel Strip kit uses the reverse hybridization principle and enables the detection and identification of 14 bacteria associated with respiratory tract infections in respiratory DNA samples.
