A complete panel of automated bepatitis B assays for microbiology laboratories provides a 'total solution' for high-throughput viral serology
A complete panel of high throughput automated hepatitis B (HBV) assays has recently been launched by Bayer Diagnostics.
The assays are designed to run on the Advia Centaur immunoassay system which optimises productivity in infectious disease testing.
This provides a total solution for high-throughput viral serology, enabling microbiology laboratories to cope with increasing workload demands for serological screening.
The HBV assay panel comprises: HBsAg - a 29 minute assay offering a sensitivity of 0.1ng/mL.
Anti-HBs - an 18 minute assay offering linear measurement between 1 and 1000 mIU/mL.
HBCoreTotal - an antigen bridging assay using a chaotrope to remove non specific binding, with specificity of 99.9% and throughput of 120 tests per hour.
HBCoreIgM - an M antibody capture assay with 100% clinical specificity and throughput of 120 tests per hour. Superior assay performance is achieved through the use of state-of-the-art chemiluminescence technology on the Advia Centaur which delivers a high degree of assay sensitivity.
Demand for HBV testing has risen sharply in the wake of increased antenatal screening for HBV infection, and is likely to increase further if compulsory screening of healthcare workers is introduced.
By automating the testing process, the Advia Centaur provides a high-throughput solution to the serious financial/staffing issues which result from increased routine workloads.
The Advia Centaur is a random access system which can process a full range of infectious disease serology and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) assays at the highly productive rate of up to 240 tests per hour.
The instrument has total on-board capacity for up to 180 samples.
To maximise productivity, reagents and consumables can be added at any time without interruption to the testing process.
Several unique features make the Advia Centaur particularly well suited for infectious disease serology applications, enabling system users to have complete confidence in the results obtained.
Utilisation of disposable 'single-use' pipette tips on the sample probe ensures safe primary sampling.
Sample and reagent verification technology guarantees results against short sampling, clots and bubbles.
Sample prioritisation is achieved by the use of a Stat port allowing the operator to manage urgent samples.
User-defined and instrument-defined QC parameters facilitate the setting up of internal QC programmes utilising Westgaard rules.
