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news.eGenomics has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has recently issued a US patent for key elements of its proprietary warning system for hospital infection control.
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According to the company, the system fingerprints infection-causing bacteria using automated DNA sequencing, stores the resulting DNA sequences in a central database and analyzes the results using proprietary algorithms. The platform allows hospital infection control teams to monitor in ‘real time’ the spread of specific harmful pathogens.
The eGenomics ‘mapping’ system differentiates clusters of related strains in order to identify a source or transmission vector. Importantly, the system can identify when strains are not related, effectively telling a hospital when they are and when they are not experiencing internal transmission problems, the company said.
Barry Kreiswirth, chief scientist at eGenomics, said: “The eGenomics system also complements the use of rapid Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) tests that are being developed by other companies in the industry.
“Incorporating the eGenomics system into existing and next generation rapid MRSA tests would provide hospitals with a system that guides containment and eradication efforts from first admission to final release. Such a combined system would add substantial capability to hospital infection control.”