Pseudalert* Detects and Quantifies P. aeruginosa in 24 hours

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. have launched worldwide Pseudalert* a 24 hour confirmed test for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria in pool, spa and bottled waters.

The new test significantly reduces the number of steps and time to confirmed results compared to the traditional methods, while maintaining accuracy. Swimming pool and spa waters are regularly tested for the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen that can cause a number of serious infections such as 'hot-tub rash' and 'swimmers ear'. Additionally, in many countries including the United Kingdom, it is a requirement to test for Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination in bottled water along with other parameters such as E. coli, total coliforms and enterococci. It is also used as a valuable indicator of possible in-process contamination within bottled water plants.

'Our customers tell us that Pseudalert will be a welcomed alternative to the current complex detection methods which require multiple confirmation steps and additional incubation days for a confirmed result,' says Dana Belisle, Senior Director and General Manager, IDEXX Water. 'The new test lets private and public health laboratories, as well as bottlers, make health, safety and operational decisions, more quickly and confidently.'

The new method includes ready-to-use reagents and requires only one minute of hands-on time, making it easier to use when compared to the conventional testing methods. The Pseudalert test uses the same equipment and test procedure as other popular IDEXX water tests such as Colilert* and Colilert*-18 for coliforms and E. coli and the Enterolert* products for enterococci. This means that water testing laboratories and bottled water plants can now use a single platform for key microbial parameters and produce accurate and complete results in just 24 hours.

Pseudalert for 100 mL samples is available now; IDEXX plans to release a 250 mL configuration for the bottled water industry in the second quarter of 2011.