IDEXX Pseudalert Test Accepted as Global ISO Standard

The IDEXX Pseudalert^® method has been published as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) worldwide standard 16266-2 for the 24-hour detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water. P. aeruginosa can cause life-threatening infections in hospitals and is a frequent cause of skin, ear, and eye infections from pool and spa water. Public and private laboratories and healthcare and hospitality industry facilities count on the Pseudalert method to monitor their water for this pathogen.

ISO is a global, widely recognized organization focused on ensuring that products and services are safe, reliable, and of good quality. Becoming an ISO standard requires a rigorous process and passing scrutiny of experts from all over the world. More than 160 national standards bodies are ISO members.

Listed under ISO 16266-2:2018, Water Quality—Detection and Enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa–Part 2: Most Probable Number Method, the Pseudalert method detects P. aeruginosa in 24 hours, less than half the time of other commercially available methods. It also has high sensitivity and specificity, requires no confirmation steps, and can be more easily used with water samples that have high levels of background flora. Turnaround time is especially critical in the healthcare and hospitality industries, where receiving test results sooner enables facility managers to act more quickly to clean their water systems and protect the safety of patients and visitors. Faster turnaround time for retesting after remediation also reduces the costs of clinical downtime and closed facilities.

“King’s College Hospital strives to maintain a bacteria-free environment, and part of ensuring a clean facility is regular testing for contaminants including Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” said Paul Balaam, Senior Estates Officer, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of London’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals. “The IDEXX Pseudalert method’s acceptance as an ISO standard further validates that we are using the best solution on the market for our testing needs.”

The Pseudalert method is also included in country-specific standards in Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and was shown to be as accurate as or more accurate than the traditional method in two independent studies published in peer-reviewed journals.^1,2

“IDEXX Water is the global leader in water microbiology, committed to innovation in diagnostic technologies to improve the safety of water worldwide,” said Jonathan Ayers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IDEXX Laboratories. “Regular testing is critical to ensuring harmful bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa stay out of the water, and we hope the acceptance of the Pseudalert method as an ISO standard helps ensure safe water and clean facilities for more people.”

The Pseudalert method’s acceptance as an ISO standard marks the second such ISO milestone for an IDEXX Water diagnostic. The IDEXX Colilert^®-18 method was published as an ISO standard (ISO 9308-2) in 2012 and was included as one of the two reference methods for coliforms and E. coli in the revised European Union Drinking Water Directive in 2015.

For more information on the IDEXX Pseudalert Test, visit www.idexx.com/water.

References

1. Sartory DP, Brewer M, Beswick A, Steggles D. Evaluation of the Pseudalert/Quanti-Tray MPN Test for the Rapid Enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Swimming Pool and Spa Pool Waters. Curr Microbiol. 2015;71(6):699–705.
2. Sartory DP, Pauly D, Garrec N, et al. Evaluation of an MPN test for the rapid enumeration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospital waters. J Water Health. 2015;13(2):427–436.