bioMérieux launches chromID® Salmonella Elite, the new generation of culture media for earlier detection of Salmonella strains in clinical fecal samples

Marcy l'Étoile, France – September 18, 2014 – bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is pleased to announce the launch of chromID® Salmonella Elite, a new selective chromogenic culture medium for the isolation and rapid identification of Salmonella in stool samples. ChromID® Salmonella Elite is CE marked and is commercially available in countries that recognize CE marking as well as in the U.S.

Salmonella are bacteria which cause food-borne diseases (salmonellosis), one of the most common intestinal infections worldwide. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella is estimated to cause about 1.2 million illnesses in the United States every year, with about 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths1. In Europe, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 91,034 cases of salmonellosis were reported in 20122. In this context, a rapid diagnosis of Salmonella infections is key to improve patient outcome.

chromID® Salmonella Elite provides a higher sensitivity for Salmonella detection directly from a fecal sample, compared to other chromogenic media available on the market3. It makes reading of the culture easier and gives results after only 18-24 hours of incubation3. This new culture medium reinforces bioMérieux’s chromID® range which covers more than 20 products for microorganism detection.

“Salmonella bacteria remain a major public health concern globally and we are pleased to provide clinical laboratories with an enhanced solution for a rapid and accurate diagnosis of Salmonella infections,” said Mark Miller, bioMérieux’s Chief Medical Officer. “The higher selectivity of chromID® Salmonella Elite enables clinical laboratory professionals to reduce the time-to-result and the laboratory workload. This new product bolsters bioMérieux’s offering in an area of key clinical importance.”

About Salmonella

Salmonella bacteria cause two types of illnesses: food-borne diarrhea/gastroenteritis (salmonellosis), and typhoid/paratyphoid fevers. The bacteria are generally transmitted to humans through consumption of contaminated food of animal origin, mainly poultry meat and by-products (eggs and milk) when under-cooked or unprocessed. The symptoms of Salmonella  gastroenteritis usually appear 12–72 hours after ingestion, and include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and sometimes vomiting. The illness usually lasts 4–7 days, and most people recover without treatment. However, young children, the elderly, and those with impaired immune systems  are the most likely to have severe infections. According to the CDC, Salmonella are a leading cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide, and are estimated to cause 94 million cases of gastroenteritis and 115,000 deaths globally each year4.

About chromID®

bioMérieux is a pioneer in the development of chromogenic culture media for the direct isolation and rapid identification of bacteria. Through the incorporation of chromogenic substrates (which change colour selectively in the presence of targeted bacteria), these selective and differential media isolate and identify the target microorganisms in a single step, thus reducing the time-to-result. The chromID® range of culture media comprises high medical-value tests allowing, in particular, the detection of multi-resistant bacteria responsible for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE).