WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Abbott (NYSE:
ABT) announced today that it has introduced the PLEX-ID™
Biothreat Assay, which is designed to detect and distinguish 17
different biothreat pathogens. This assay enables rapid and
accurate detection of potentially dangerous microorganisms that
could pose serious threats to human health, food, water and other
resources.
“While public health officials concerned with bioterrorism and
emerging infectious diseases are detecting known, conventional
infectious agents, it’s becoming very clear there is a need for
broader detection and characterization of pathogens for
biodefense,” said David Ecker, Ph.D., divisional vice
president and general manager, of Abbott’s Ibis Biosciences
subsidiary. “The PLEX-ID system’s new biothreat assay will
serve that need by identifying and quantifying, for non-diagnostic
purposes, a broad set of pathogens including bacteria and families
of viruses in humans and animals.”
The PLEX-ID Biothreat Assay permits analysis of direct
specimens, such as blood, water, food and air filter samples, and
provides results in less than eight hours. Seventeen
different bioagents are targeted in the new test, including
Bacillus anthracis, E. coli, salmonella, ebola virus, and avian
influenza viruses. PLEX-ID offers the unique capability to
detect and identify these, and other, bacterial and viral biothreat
agents while also differentiating similar organisms.
Research on the biothreat assay was presented at the American
Society for Microbiology Conference on Biodefense and Emerging
Diseases. In a poster presented at the conference, Abbott and
the Midwest Research Institute reported that an independent
evaluation of the PLEX-ID Biothreat Assay showed it provides highly
sensitive and specific results for biothreat detection in
environmental air samp
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