bioMérieux and Illumina have launched bioMérieux EpiSeq™, an innovative next-generation sequencing (NGS) service dedicated to the epidemiological monitoring and control of healthcare-associated infections. The bioMérieux EpiSeq™ service is the first result of the collaboration agreement signed by bioMérieux and Illumina in November 2014 bringing together the companies’ respective leadership positions in microbiology and NGS to jointly develop applications for microbiology sequencing.

bioMérieux EpiSeq™ provides highly accurate information to health professionals for characterization of bacteria. By giving hospitals an improved understanding of the genetic markers of virulence and resistance, the service can help them understand how bacteria are transmitted, while enabling better containment of an epidemic, limiting the spread of infectious agents and improving surveillance approaches.

Hospitals facing a suspected epidemic or health crisis will be able to send bacterial isolates to a service laboratory designated by bioMérieux and equipped with an Illumina MiSeq® sequencer. The genomic data is stored in a secure cloud platform and analyzed using the database and software developed by bioMérieux. Results showing the genomic profile of the infectious agents and the genetic variations identified by sequencing will be sent by bioMérieux to healthcare professionals in a customized, easy-to-interpret report.

The bioMérieux EpiSeq™ service will first be launched in Europe followed by North America and Asia. The menu will initially consist ofStaphylococcus aureus and will subsequently be expanded to include the other bacterial species most commonly responsible for healthcare-associated infections.