NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – OpGen has been contracted to perform laboratory services as part of a Washington, DC citywide evaluation to gauge the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in healthcare facilities.
The evaluation is being led by the DC Department of Health and coordinated by the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA), with an unspecific amount of funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases funding program.
Gaithersburg, Maryland-based OpGen is providing multidrug-resistant organism testing support through its clinical laboratory using its Acuitas MDRO test — a CLIA test that provides information about 10 MDRO resistance genes from a single patient specimen — and Acuitas Lighthouse MDRO Management system for bioinformatics analysis.
Over the next several weeks, facilities participating in the study will test patients for three days across designated units to proactively determine CRE threat. This will identify patient care units at highest risk and allow for heightened infection-control measures in those facilities to minimize transmissions and prevent outbreaks.
The DC Department of Forensic Sciences-Public Health Laboratory is also participating in the study by providing logistical support and by sequencing and banking isolates recovered from cultures.
DCHA member hospitals participating in the study include BridgePoint Hospital (Capitol Hill and Hadley campuses), Children's National Medical Center, George Washington University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, Providence Hospital, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and United Medical Center.