Rapid diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia

Across Europe and the US, Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) affects 100 per 100,000 adults a year with a mortality rate of 10-20%¹. However, where antibiotic therapy has been received within 4 hours of admission there has been a 15% reduction in mortality². Inverness Medical has responded to the need to rapidly and accurately diagnose CAP by introducing BinaxNOW^® S. pneumoniae and Legionella, part of the BinaxNOW^® range of rapid respiratory tests. The simple, swab based BinaxNOW S. pneumoniae and Legionella immunochromatographic assays provide clear reliable results in as little as 15 minutes from urine samples.

Through BinaxNOW’s ability to test and provide patients with their results in one visit, healthcare professionals can ensure the most appropriate treatment is administered without delay and that hospitalisation and potentially life threatening complications are avoided. With clinical guidelines advising against the routine use of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections³, BinaxNOW can help reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and in turn prevent the risk of antibiotic resistance occurring in strains of respiratory infections. Additionally, the BinaxNOW S. pneumoniae rapid test can also be used for the swift diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis from cerebro spinal fluid (CSF).

The BinaxNOW range of rapid tests for respiratory infections covers Influenza A and B, Legionella, RSV, Strep A and S. pneumoniae. With an easy to use patented book-shaped test device, Inverness Medical continues to enable early and accurate diagnosis of disease with its BinaxNOW rapid tests.

1. World Health Organisation
2. Houck 2004 (2004. ArchInternMed. Mar. 22; 164(6): 637-44).
3. National Prescribing Centre. The management of common infections in primary care. MeReC Bulletin 2006; 17: No 3.