Singapore, September 12, 2007:  Seegene, based out of Korea, has introduced a multiplex-formatted diagnostic test covering the most common virus and bacteria respiratory infections in a single reaction tube. The Seeplex18-plex Respiratory Test is the only diagnostic test capable of simultaneously detecting 18 of the most prevalent respiratory infections – both virus and bacteria born – in a single test. The Seeplex 18-plex Respiratory Test robustly detects 11 different respiratory RNA viruses, 2 DNA viruses, and 5 pneumonia bacteria from samples including nasopharyngeal aspirates, nasopharyngeal swabs and bronchoalveolar lavage. 

 

By enabling healthcare personnel to test for 18 different pathogens for the cost similar to testing for a single pathogen, the Seeplex 18-plex Respiratory Test breaks the mold of a ‘single pathogen, single test’ testing regime and high false positives/negatives results associated conventional multiplexing. Traditional tests, such as viral culture and Ag-Ab test, are laborious, time consuming and cost inefficient. 

 

The Seeplex18-plex Respiratory Test eliminates the drawbacks by multiplexing without cross reactivity and achieving rapid test results at a minimal cost per test, thus setting a new standard for the most economical method of choice for molecular diagnostics of respiratory infections.

 

According to the release, the Seeplex 18-plex Respiratory Test detects Influenza A virus; Influenza B virus; Human respiratory syncytial virus A; Human respiratory syncytial virus B; Human parainfluenzae virus 1; Human parainfluenzae virus 2; Human parainfluenzae virus 3; Human coronavirus 229E/NL63; Human coronavirus OC43/HKU1; Human rhinovirus; Human enterovirus; Human adenovirus; Human bocavirus; Legionella pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Haemophilus influenzae; Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

 

The Seeplex 18-plex Respiratory Test aspires to become an essential tool for active surveillance and treatment of respiratory illnesses. The use of this new diagnostic test enables healthcare personnel to rapidly determine whether a patient’s respiratory ailment is caused by a virus or bacteria, and subsequently prescribe the best course of treatment whether an antibiotic, antiviral or bed rest. 

 

Mr Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seegene, said, “Like our other commercially available tests, notably the recently introduced 18-plex test for human Papillomaviruses, our new respiratory test is simply performed with one multiplex PCR in a single tube and capillary electrophoresis for automated detection of pathogens. These tests use Seegene’s proprietary DPO (Dual Priming Oligo) primer system, ensuring test reproducibility, specificity and sensitivity.”