Seegene Introduces Diagnostic Test for Diarrhea

Seegene today introduced the Seeplex® Diarrhea ACE Detection test that provides a novel and fast-acting multiplex PCR diagnostic technique to simultaneously verify a complex range of pathogens that cause diarrhea. Based on the company’s proprietary DPO (Dual Priming Oligo) technology, the Seeplex Diarrhea ACE Detection tests for ten bacteria (Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Campylobacter spp., Vibrio spp., C. difficile Toxin B, C. perfringens, Y. enterocolitica, Aeromonas spp., E.coli0157:H7, Verocytotoxin-producing E.coli) and four viruses (Rotavirus, Norovirus, Enteric adenovirus, Astrovirus) that cause diarrhea.

By accurately detecting and differentiating diarrhea causing viruses from bacteria, the Seeplex Diarrhea ACE Detection test will help healthcare practitioners apply the correct course of treatment for patients at the earliest possible stage.

Caused by viruses and bacteria, fast and accurate diagnosis is crucial for the proper treatment of this highly contagious and common disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about three million people die every year worldwide from diarrhea and its associated complications. Approximately 1.9 million of these fatalities are children under the age of five.

“70-80% of infectious diarrhea is caused by viruses, especially Norovirus and Rotavirus, which are also responsible for most of the food borne diarrhea outbreaks. Until now there have been no diagnostic methods capable of detecting these multiple and varied viruses accurately,” said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and CEO of Seegene.

Another 10-20% of diarrhea cases result from bacterial infection. To avoid unnecessary treatment with general antibiotics that promote drug resistant bacteria, it is important to accurately differentiate viruses from bacteria, as well as identify pathogens at the early stage of infection.

Dr. Chun continued, “In the case of bacterial diarrhea, traditional diagnostic methods are microscopy, ELISA and stool culture, but these methods have notable limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, ease of use and speed. Taking only six hours to detect either bacterial or viral infection, Seeplex Diarrhea ACE Detection is an accurate, rapid and cost-effective diarrhea diagnostic tool that offers a new way for diagnosing diarrhea.”

Seeplex Diarrhea ACE Detection is for research use only.