Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) today launched the first automated phenotypic diagnostic test for infections caused by carbapenemase-producing organisms.

The new BD Phoenix CPO test is available as part of the BD Phoenix automated microbiology system in Europe, the company said, and is designed to help hospitals detect and contain infections caused by CPOs.

Carbapenemase-producing organisms are resistant to nearly all available antibiotics, according to the CDC, and have earned a place on the World Health Organization’s priority pathogen list as critical threats to public health.

The BD Phoenix CPO detect test can accurately detect the organisms in under 36 hours, compared to 96 hours for conventional phenotypic methods, and can also provide the Ambler classification of the carbapenemase, the company said.

The test was designed to help hospitals and labs shape their infection response programs by facilitating rapid-detection of organisms and helping to select appropriate antibiotics, according to BD.

“The BD Phoenix CPO detect test is a completely new type of phenotypic test, and its range of capabilities is unmatched by all currently marketed tests,” Kenneth Thomson, clinical professor of pathology & laboratory medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, said in prepared remarks. “It represents a significant advance in meeting an important clinical need.”

“The BD Phoenix CPO detect test gives laboratories an accurate and cost-effective method to rapidly identify CPOs and support patient management,” Steve Conly, VP of microbiology, added. “Along with the BD Phoenix M50, this first-to-market phenotypic automated test to detect CPOs, expands BD’s portfolio of solutions for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (ID/AST) and is another example of the company’s commitment to combating AMR.”

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