NorthShore University HealthSystem highlights utility of Streck ARM-D Kits for antimicrobial resistance detection

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Aug 28 2018

Streck, Inc., received great interest for Streck ARM-D^® Kits, used in the detection of antibiotic resistance, at ASM Microbe 2018 in Atlanta.

Steve Kelly, Streck Product Manager, Molecular Products, hosted a workshop titled, "Streck ARM-D Kits for molecular detection of antimicrobial resistance in blood culture and swabs." The workshop showcased Streck ARM-D Kits, which are comprehensive, cost-effective real-time PCR kits that detect the most important β-lactamases for current and emerging threats.

Speaker Kathy A. Mangold, Ph.D., Dept. of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, presented a talk titled, "Clinical utility of the Streck ARM-D Kits to detect antimicrobial resistance genes from extracts of axillary, throat and rectal swabs."

"The Streck ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase, may be appropriate for surveillance of multidrug resistant organisms such as CRE in patients," Mangold said. Her research showed high throughput with batch setup by technician and lower cost per sample. The Streck ARM-D Kit also had a reduced repeat/failure rate in this study, compared to Cepheid Carba-R^®.

Mangold's presentation reported that the CDC reports 10% to 15% of hospital patients and 65% of nursing home residents harbor ≥1 MDRO. Vital to controlling MDRO spread is recognizing colonized patients, then implementing appropriate interventions. Axillary, throat and rectal swabs were utilized for surveillance and to screen at-risk populations admitted to ICUs to rapidly identify MDRO-colonized patients.

Mangold's research focuses on the translation of basic science into diagnostics for multiple areas of pathology. Her early research focused on the molecular changes that occur in the development and progression of solid tumors. Her research on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma addressed the need for early biomarkers of this devastating disease, whereas for prostate adenocarcinoma the research was on the markers of metastatic progression of prostate cancer. More recently, Mangold has developed and validated many assays that are designed to detect and identify pathogenic microbes, viruses and antimicrobial resistance, but also assays for cancer susceptibility and diagnostics.

Streck ARM-D Kits (RUO) are for Research Use Only. Not for Use in Diagnostic Procedures.​