IMMY’s market-leading Cryptococcal Antigen (CrAg) Lateral Flow Assay (LFA) has been aiding the diagnosis of cryptococcal infections worldwide for the past decade.  Cryptococcal infections can occur in immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV infection, and early detection can significantly improve clinical outcomes.  The CrAg® LFA can detect cryptococcal antigens in the blood of asymptomatic patients prior to development of cryptococcal meningitis enabling pre-emptive treatment of CrAg positive patients.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of this potentially life-saving test, which has revolutionised the diagnosis of this opportunistic fungal infection, giving the advantages of rapid turnaround and sensitivity when compared to culture or india ink microscopy.

Available from Alpha Laboratories, this simple to use, 10-minute, immunochromatographic dipstick test can be used to detect cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigens in serum, plasma, whole blood, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF).  Offering improved workflow over traditional agglutination methods, the CrAg LFA does not require specimen pre-treatment, and the easy-to-read control and test lines eliminate subjective interpretation of agglutination patterns.

The IMMY CrAg LFA can be used in multiple clinical settings to provide rapid, reliable, and robust diagnostic results.  As a qualitative test for screening, CrAg LFA offers excellent sensitivity across all serotypes of Cryptococcus and is the only assay FDA cleared for both C.neoformans and C.gattii.  Positive samples can also be diluted and the CrAg LFA used as a semi-quantitative assay to determine an antigen titer value for the patient.  High CrAg titers in the blood are predictive of subclinical cryptococcal meningitis in HIV patients and can aid treatment decisions. 

Please visit www.alphalabs.co.uk/cr2003 for further information or contact us.