Meningitis and encephalitis are potentially life-threatening infections of the central nervous system. When patients come to a community hospital and have a suspected case of meningitis or encephalitis, they are, after a cerebrospinal fluid\u00a0(CSF) sample has been taken, administered empirical treatment\u2014an antibiotic, antiviral or antifungal cocktail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In community hospitals, microbiology labs have limited resources, and microbial culture is often the only diagnostic option available for CSF analysis. However, a culture-independent method is the preferred way to identify a viral infectious agent and to confirm the pathogen-specific diagnosis in a more timely manner. If a viral pathogen is suspected, a CSF analysis must be conducted by an external lab, which inevitably results in delays, clogging an already overloaded system.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In response, bioM\u00e9rieux\u2019s FilmArray\u00ae is a diagnostic system that uses a nucleic acid assay called \u201cnested multiplex\u00a0PCR\u201d that can be easily performed with minimal hands-on time in the laboratory. In one hour, it tests for the presence of 14\u00a0different potentially pathogenic microorganisms, including the infectious agents most frequently and most importantly responsible for community-acquired meningitis and encephalitis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre is a community hospital in Barrie, Ontario. To assess the potential effects of implementing FilmArray\u00ae technology in its facility, the Royal Victoria team conducted an independent study funded by bioM\u00e9rieux and led by Dr.\u00a0Giulio\u00a0DiDiodato and his colleagues. The study demonstrated that the quick and easy-to-use FilmArray\u00ae system reduces the time to diagnose the etiology of the meningitis\/encephalitis syndrome, and, in turn, shortens the length of stay by an average of 36\u00a0hours per patient, saving money and reducing strain on human resources. FilmArray could also be a vital tool for teams monitoring and improving antibiotic usage in the hospital setting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Overall, the FilmArray\u00ae system improves care for patients with infections such as meningitis and encephalitis in community hospitals like the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Watch this video to learn more about the study and how the in-house use of a multiplex test can benefit hospitals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n