New Research Reveals Pathnostics Guidance UTI Test Profoundly Impacts Antibiotic Stewardship
Pathnostics, a leading diagnostic solutions company, announced today the publication of ground-breaking research that demonstrates the fundamental impact that bacterial interactions have on antibiotic susceptibility results. Published in the Journal of Surgical Urology, the national study reveals that the company’s advanced Guidance® UTI test utilizing pooled antibiotic susceptibility testing (P‑AST™) is a game-changer in supporting physicians with diagnosing and prescribing precise antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), the second most common infection in geriatric populations.
To learn more about the new study, “Bacterial Interactions as Detected by Pooled Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (P-AST™) in Polymicrobial Urine Specimens,” visit https://asteroidpublishers.com/bacterial-interactions-as-detected-by-pooled-antibiotic-susceptibility-testing-p-ast-in-polymicrobial-urine-specimens.
The new research highlights how Pathnostics’ Guidance® UTI test can have a significant and positive impact on antibiotic stewardship. Combining data from two Institutional Review Board-approved studies that collected urine specimens from 3,124 symptomatic UTI patients in 37 urology clinics across the United States, the national study’s key findings include:
- More than one in two patients (56.1 percent) who tested positive for UTIs were diagnosed with a polymicrobial infection, meaning their urine contained two or more bacterial organisms;
- The odds of patients’ resistance to most antibiotic treatments increased with each additional bacterial organism present in their polymicrobial specimens;
- Patients’ responses to specific antibiotic treatments were significantly altered by the interactions between the bacterial organisms present in their polymicrobial infections.
“This landmark study illustrates the significant impact bacterial organism interactions can have on antibiotic susceptibility. Previous studies show that when UTIs are not correctly diagnosed or effectively treated, emergency department visits and admittance to hospitals significantly increase. These newest clinical findings demonstrate how the Guidance P-AST, which tests different antibiotics against a patient’s urine sample, can play a profound role in reducing health care costs and achieving better clinical outcomes, especially for those people affected by complex, recurring UTIs,” said Natalie Luke, Ph.D., associate vice president of Research, Education and Outcomes, Pathnostics, and co-author of the study.
With Nature Reviews Microbiology Journal revealing that UTI’s account for more than 10 million office visits and 3 million emergency department visits annually in the U.S., increasing numbers of urologists are turning to Pathnostics’ Guidance® UTI test instead of traditional urine culture testing. Culture testing takes multiple days to process and yields a significant amount of false-negative results, whereas the Guidance®UTI test:
- is the only test to offer molecular technology combining the identity of organisms and pooled susceptibility, utilizing Pathnostics’ patented P-AST™ technology to test 19 different antibiotics against a patient’s direct urine sample;
- yields the highest level of diagnostic specificity and sensitivity with rapid turnaround time;
- enables physicians to quickly diagnose and guide antibiotic treatment options to reduce empiric therapy.
About Pathnostics’ Guidance® UTI Test
The Guidance® UTI test is an advanced assay combining multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) and pooled antibiotic susceptibility testing (P-AST™). It is the only test in the market to offer molecular technology combining genotyping and phenotyping, yielding the highest level of diagnostic specificity and sensitivity. The test has a rapid turnaround time that delivers results in less than 48 hours compared to standard urine culture testing, which can take up to five days to produce results and miss 22 percent of organisms. In summary, the Guidance®UTI test enables physicians to precisely diagnose and rapidly prescribe the most effective antibiotic for patients. Previous studies have revealed that the Guidance® test is also associated with reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
Since launching the Guidance®UTI test in 2016, Pathnostics has performed nearly 200,000 patient tests on behalf of more than 750 providers, including many of the nation’s top urology practices. To learn more about the Guidance UTI test, visit https://www.pathnostics.com/physicians/tests/urology-guidance/
About Pathnostics®
Pathnostics is a leading diagnostic solutions company that pioneers innovative approaches for improved patient care. Leveraging its proprietary and patented technology, the company develops solutions that address diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas for physicians and patients. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Pathnostics is a company of Water Street Healthcare Partners, a strategic investor focused exclusively on the health care industry. For more information about the company and its portfolio of products, visit http://www.pathnostics.com.