By IDSE News Staff
A new option will be available soon to test wastewater for potential infectious respiratory disease outbreaks.
The WATCHFIRE Respiratory Panel (bioMérieux), a polymerase chain reaction test targeting 22 pathogens, will be able to deliver real-time data on viruses and bacteria in wastewater samples, according to a company press release.
The panel works in conjunction with the BioFire FilmArray TORCH instrument and FIREWORKS software, and can detect pathogens in 45 minutes by operators in a decentralized or near source lab setting.
“WATCHFIRE provides efficient, closer-to-source testing of multiple pathogens from a single sample in about one hour, with limited hands-on time. Featuring real-time analysis for valuable insights, this scalable solution empowers public health authorities to quickly identify wastewater pathogen trends – enabling affected communities to make informed decisions and proactively take action. It’s an absolute game-changer in bioMérieux’s quest to help make the world a healthier place,” Jennifer Zinn, the executive vice president of clinical operations at bioMérieux, said in the press statement.
The 22 pathogens included in the panel are:
- Viruses: adenovirus, coronavirus 229E, coronavirus HKU1, coronavirus NL63, coronavirus OC43, SARS-CoV-2, human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus/enterovirus, influenza A virus, influenza A virus A/H1, influenza A virus A/H3, influenza A virus A/H1-2009, influenza B virus, parainfluenza virus 1, parainfluenza virus 2, parainfluenza virus 3, parainfluenza virus 4, respiratory syncytial virus.
- Bacteria: Bordetella parapertussis, B. pertussis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
The panel will be available in the second quarter of this year, and a gastrointestinal panel will follow in the third quarter of 2025.
Based on a bioMérieux press release.
