Launch of Parvovirus Detection and Quantification Kit

bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, has launched the Parvovirus B19 R-gene® kit for the detection and quantification of the three parvovirus B19 genotypes. This CE-marked, molecular diagnostic test is part of the ARGENE® range of real-time PCR molecular biology tests for monitoring viral infections in immuno-compromised patients.

Primary parvovirus B19 infection generally occurs in childhood, in the form of a mild skin rash, and is also responsible for severe infections in immuno-compromised or vulnerable patients and pregnant women. The Parvovirus B19 R-gene kit is the only molecular diagnostic solution on the market enabling the detection and quantification of the three parvovirus B19 genotypes with identical sensitivity in whole blood, plasma and serum, as well as allowing qualitative detection in bone marrow and medullary plasma. The kit can be used on the majority of nucleic acid extraction platforms – including the bioMérieux NucliSENS® easyMag® system – and is compatible with all the main real-time PCR platforms available for clinical laboratory use.

Alexandre Mérieux, Corporate Vice President of bioMérieux’s Microbiology and Molecular Biology Unit, commented: "We are very pleased to extend our molecular biology portfolio with this new addition to the ARGENE range, which now comprises a menu covering a dozen parameters for monitoring immuno-compromised patients."