Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in our aging and immunocompromised population exceeds $1.6 billion dollars and takes the lives of roughly 13,000 Americans each year. For patients admitted to the hospital for complicated UTIs, the mortality rate is nearly 10% within 30 days of admission. In addition, UTIs are the cause of almost half of all nursing home patients who contract sepsis. With the added threat of the recent viral pandemic and the ensuing healthcare crisis among our older adult patient population, renewed interest in a far more rapid, accurate and sensitive test has spurred innovation in genetic identification of both pathogenic microorganisms and resistance genes that guide modern antibiotic therapy.
Traditional methods of identification of microbes in UTIs relies on culture of suspected microorganisms with growth visible on agar plates, a process that is both time consuming and inherently biased as many Gram-negative and especially Gram-positive organisms can often fail to grow in such conditions. Traditional cultures have been shown to have a 30% false negative rate vs. more advanced molecular based testing.
Another problem with traditional culture-based methods is that UTIs can be polymicrobial with multiple uropathogens that complicate treatment decisions. New multiplex PCR testing is capable of not only turnaround time in 4-6 hours rather than days but accurate identification of polymicrobial UTI cases at rate of nearly 6 times greater than traditional culture.
Adding to the issues with modern UTI management is growing antibiotic resistance that threatens a new health crisis after decades of poor antibiotic stewardship reliant on broad spectrum coverage due to a previous lack of rapid, accurate resistance identification.
The SIGNAL UTI+ PANEL is a new, revolutionary genetic innovation in the management of UTIs capable of simultaneous identification of 29 different uropathogens and 9 different antibiotic resistance genes allowing for personalized and precision treatment of your valued patients in hours not days or weeks. In addition, our advanced Ignite reporting system gives treatment recommendations in an easy-to-read format making clinical management using our data simple in the even more complex polymicrobial infections.
This diagnostic assay is a covered service for your Medicare and privately insured patients. At Signal Diagnostics LLC, we also offer Advanced Pathology Solutions, Pathology Consultation Services, Digital Pathology Consultation, Toxicology Testing Services, and Molecular Pathogen Testing.
Furthermore, our Pathogen Testing Laboratory is equipped with the state of the art technology. Hence, we can get quick and advanced pathogen detection through our machines and testing services.
Our Signal UTI+ Molecular Assay System currently identifies the following uropathogens and resistance genes: