Technology Accurately Identifies Pathogens and Predicts Antimicrobial Resistance
- In less than 30 years, drug resistant bacteria are predicted to kill 3 times more people on an annual basis than COVID-19 did in 2020
- MiQLab is a diagnostic tool used for detecting drug resistance at the point of care which will allow veterinarians to provide quality care for patients with suspected bacterial infections
- LexaGene’s MiQLab’s overall percent agreement in study:
- >99% for pathogen identification (106 samples)
- >96% for drug resistance markers in sequenced CDC bacterial strains (32 samples)
- >92% for drug resistance phenotype in canine urinary isolates with culture-based drug resistance profiles (74 samples)
BEVERLY, Mass., Oct. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (“LexaGene” or the “Company”), a molecular diagnostics company that has commercialized an instrument for automated multiplex, PCR testing for veterinary diagnostics and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, today announced, it successfully utilized its MiQLab™ System to correctly identify bacteria and determine the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers that predict resistance to commonly prescribed first-line veterinary antibiotics.
Decades of over-use of antibiotics have resulted in a drastic rise in pathogens that are very difficult to treat due to their rapid evolution to resist the ‘killing’ effect of prescribed therapies. The problem has become so prevalent, and very few new drugs are in development, that the CDC predicts antimicrobial resistant pathogens will kill more than 10 million people per year in less than 30 years.1 To put this into perspective, over 3 million people died of COVID-19 in 2020,2 which would equate to just one-third of the yearly expected impact from drug resistant bacteria. The pandemic appears to have potentially accelerated these grim projections, as drug resistant infections have risen sharply during the pandemic and contributed to increased mortality.2,3 Providers have been slow to implement changes in drug prescription practices due to a lack of technologies that quickly inform on drug resistance at the point-of-care.
At the largest veterinary trade shows in September, LexaGene was the only company exhibiting with a product capable of rapid pathogen identification and AMR detection at the point-of-care, and accordingly the technology was met with much enthusiasm.
Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGene’s CEO and Founder stated, “The results from this study prove that the MiQLab is extremely accurate. LexaGene’s MiQLab has already started to help veterinarians with evidence-based decision making at the point-of-care, and these actions are critical to averting the grim projections on the number of future deaths due to AMR pathogens. We are happy that we are gaining momentum in veterinary diagnostics and expect our technology to eventually be considered a ‘must-have’ for veterinary hospitals interested in offering best-in-class service.”
He continued, “Published veterinary studies report that as little as 18 percent5,6,7 of urine samples taken from animals suspected of having a urinary tract infection (UTI) test positive for pathogens, but getting this information typically takes ~ 5 days. Many veterinarians are unwilling to wait this long for test results as an untreated urinary tract infection can lead to significant complications. As such, most veterinarians empirically prescribe drugs to pets suspected of having an infection because they are fearful of not treating a potentially dangerous infection. Such over-use of antibiotics has increased the prevalence of drug resistant pathogens and veterinarians are now increasingly caring for patients with unresolved infections, which can sometimes lead to euthanizing a pet, which contributes to caregiver depression.8”
LexaGene is proud to offer veterinarians the MiQLab System as a solution to minimize the number of unresolved infections, which we believe, will not only helps save the lives of animals, but also improve the morale of veterinarians who tirelessly care for our companion pets.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/10/07/2310273/0/en/LexaGene-s-Largest-Study-Validates-Accuracy-of-its-Veterinary-Test-Panel.html