TECHLAB, Inc., has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the CAMPYLOBACTER QUIK CHEK™ and the CAMPYLOBACTER CHEK™ tests. Both are intended to aid diagnosis of campylobacteriosis, one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States.

The CAMPYLOBACTER QUIK CHEK™ test is a rapid diagnostic test that detects Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in less than 30 minutes. The CAMPYLOBACTER CHEK™ test is a 96-well plate format for laboratories testing large numbers of specimens, and can be used with or without automation. The CAMPYLOBACTER CHEK™ and CAMPYLOBACTER QUIK CHEK™ tests have accuracies that surpass culture and have the highest positive predictive values (PPV) among currently available Campylobacter immunoassays.

"Most Campylobacter testing is still performed by culture because the diagnostic immunoassays on the market have a PPV value of less than 50 percent. But culture requires up to 72 hours to give a result and is technically challenging due to the microaerophilic growth requirements of the bacteria," said Dr. Joel Herbein, VP of Scientific Affairs at TECHLAB. "The Campylobacter products we have developed have a high PPV, can be performed on the benchtop in 30 minutes for the rapid to about an hour for the 96-well plate format, and offer clinicians more confidence in their testing results."