Unlocking the Potential of COLOREX™ StrepA: Revolutionizing Group A Streptococcus Detection and Speeding Up Patient Therapy
Child with Suspected Strep Throat Infection
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Group A Streptococcus (group A strep) can give rise to a spectrum of infections, ranging from minor ailments to severe and life-threatening conditions such as strep throat, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, and streptococcal shock syndrome. While most sore throats are caused by viruses, strep throat infections, particularly affecting children between 5 and 15 years of age, are attributed to the contagious Group A Streptococcus bacterium.
Traditional culture, recognized as the gold standard for testing Group A Streptococcus (Strep A), boasts higher sensitivity than rapid antigen testing and is more cost-effective than PCR testing. A breakthrough comes in the form COLOREX™ StrepA medium, the brand of ready to use plates made with CHROMagar™'s original powder. COLOREX™ StrepA is currently available as prepared media plates through its manufacturing partners. This medium not only simplifies traditional culture methods but also enhances detection.
Distinctive Features of COLOREX™ StrepA
On COLOREX™ StrepA, Group A Streptococcus colonies exhibit an orange to red color, facilitating easy differentiation from other streptococci that appear steel blue or colorless. The medium inhibits other Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and yeast throat flora, streamlining the identification process. The characteristic orange to red colonies of Strep A stand out on the medium and are easy to recognize amongst other normal flora. Notably, COLOREX™ StrepA eliminates the need for a Taxo A Bacitracin Disc, and it eliminates the need for subcultures. No subcultures are needed due the normal flora inhibition properties of COLOREX™ StrepA medium.
Enhanced Efficiency and Accuracy
Recent studies have shown that MALDI-TOF confirmation can be effectively done directly from colonies on this chromogenic medium. In the article published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology on November 2019, titled “Automated Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes Pharyngitis by Use of COLOREX Strep A CHROMagar and WASPLab Artificial Intelligence Chromogenic Detection Module Software,” sensitivity and specificity of COLOREX™ Strep A medium has been shown to be exceptional, particularly when used in conjunction with full laboratory automation and artificial intelligence (A.I.) image analysis reading.
Validation Through Industry Presentations
Several posters presented at leading microbiology conferences highlight the powerful combination of COLOREX™ StrepA with artificial intelligence for detection of suspected Strep A infections, including the poster “Validation and implementation of COLOREX™ CHROMagar™ Strep A agar on WASP™/WASPLab™ for screening for Streptococcus pyogenes using the ESwab.” The poster, presented at 2019 ASM Microbe, concluded that “results showed COLOREX™ Strep A agar (CHROMagar™) had a significantly greater sensitivity than blood agar in isolating Streptococcus pyogenes,” and when used with AI algorithms, it provides “provides a sensitivity better than the human eye.”
Additionally, the poster presented also at the 2019 Microbe, titled “Digital detection and the use of Artificial Intelligence to detect Group A Streptococcus using a chromogenic agar,” found that by using COLOREX™ StrepA cultures can be read and reported at 24 hours, reducing the laboratory’s reporting time by 24 hours. Faster results translate in patients getting antibiotic therapy sooner, expediting patient care by ensuring faster initiation of treatment.
Transforming Workflow in High-Volume Laboratories
For laboratories that receive a large volume of throat swab samples for Group A Streptococcus screening, culture and work up of suspected colonies can be an arduous task that can be simplified and streamlined by using COLOREX™ StrepA medium. When used in combination with lab automation and A.I., orange to red colonies of Strep A can be automatically detected and plates segregated when processing large numbers of patient samples, dramatically improving workflow by reducing turnaround-time.
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