We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Novel Point-Of-Care Test Kit for Procalcitonin Evaluated

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 25 Jan 2017
Print article
Image: The ABSOGEN PCT assay: control line (C) and test line (T) of the semi-quantitative kit for the procalcitonin analysis. Negative (
Image: The ABSOGEN PCT assay: control line (C) and test line (T) of the semi-quantitative kit for the procalcitonin analysis. Negative (
In response to inflammation, procalcitonin plasma concentrations increase more rapidly than other acute-phase reactants and higher values are associated with severe disease. Procalcitonin measurements assist in determining whether antibiotic therapy should be used.

For rapid diagnosis, point-of- Care test (POCT) is performed for early decision-making about additional testing or therapy. Despite being semi-quantitative, POCT results are helpful in situations when quantitative measurements are required quickly, such as within one to three hours.

Scientists at the Catholic University of Korea and their colleagues evaluated a total of 158 specimens, 115 specimens with procalcitonin levels ranging from 0 to 18.96 ng/mL were randomly selected for this study. Ages ranged from 15 to 90 years, with 51.7±19.9 (age mean ± SD) for the 158 samples, 77 males (54.4±19.9), and 81 females (49.1±19.4).

The team used the ABSOGEN PCT, which is a novel, rapid, and semi-quantitative immunochromatographic POCT assay that analyses whole blood. The study compared patient quantitative test results using the Modular E170 analyzer to ABSOGEN PCT test results. ABSOGEN PCT Analysis was performed using fresh whole blood sample remnants collected in EDTA tubes for routine complete blood count assays.

The investigators found that the concordance rate between ABSOGEN PCT using the reader and quantitative assay, between ABSOGEN PCT using naked eyes and quantitative assay and between ABSOGEN PCT using the reader and naked eyes for the same category was 83.5%, 78.5%, and 82.3%, respectively. The concordance rates for the ±1 categories were all 100%. Since high procalcitonin levels indicate the immediate need for sepsis therapy, a bedside test that yields results quickly can be critically important. In this situation, the present novel POCT could be useful.

The authors concluded that The ABSOGEN PCT blood procalcitonin test is a very simple and rapid test. The turnaround time is rapid because it uses whole blood; centrifugation is not required and the reaction is rapid. Serum or plasma also can be used. Sample volume for the test is small and no need for dilution. Even though the reaction band is narrow and faint, there is no difficulty in differentiating positive and negative, but some effort is needed to differentiate the grades using the naked eye and therefore a reader is recommended. The study was published on December 13, 2016, in the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.

Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Troponin I Test
Quidel Triage Troponin I Test
New
Immunofluorescence Analyzer
MPQuanti

Print article

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The lab-in-tube assay could improve TB diagnoses in rural or resource-limited areas (Photo courtesy of Kenny Lass/Tulane University)

Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The ready-to-use DUB enzyme assay kits accelerate routine DUB activity assays without compromising data quality (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Sensitive and Specific DUB Enzyme Assay Kits Require Minimal Setup Without Substrate Preparation

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are two important physiological processes in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, responsible for protein degradation in cells. Deubiquitinating (DUB) enzymes contain around... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The HIV-1 self-testing chip will be capable of selectively detecting HIV in whole blood samples (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples

As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.