CDC Ups Online Tool’s Ability to Help ID Rare Pathogens

By Kelly A. Briganti, Editorial Director, G2 Intelligence

Launched in 2013, MicrobeNet is a “virtual microbe library” established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that helps laboratorians identify less common bacteria and diseases. The library provides access to more than 2,400 “rare and emerging infections, bacteria and fungi.” Last week, the CDC announced it has expanded this tool to include a new module “that allows labs to research the protein signatures of the bacteria and compare them to the rare pathogens in CDCs MicrobeNet library by using Bruker’s MALDI Biotyper systems.” Before, the library was searched either by DNA sequence or biochemical tests. MicrobeNet helps hospitals and public health labs identify difficult to identify pathogens and respond to public health risks.

“Traditionally, clinicians or laboratorians who needed to identify a rare bacteria or fungi or to confirm an infectious disease diagnosis with one of these organisms needed to send a sample to CDC and await test results. With MicrobeNet, they can access the information they need immediately,” the CDC said in its statement announcing the update.

The CDC also claims this speedier identification method provides “dramatic cost savings for clinical and public health laboratories because they no longer will need to develop their own pathogen libraries.”

Users also benefit from communication with CDC experts regarding the diseases searched and access to information about antibiotic-resistance. “By quickly identifying the species of bacteria, lab staff can pass this critical information to the doctors who can use it to help make a diagnosis and select the right treatment, thus reducing the risk of their patients developing drug-resistant infections,” said the CDC.

Bruker explains on its website that its MALDI Biotyper system uses “Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry to measure a unique molecular fingerprint of an organism” by targeting the proteins in microorganisms. The CDC indicates that the MALDI technology is faster and cheaper than other testing methods and helps MicrobeNet cut testing time from a week to hours.

MicrobeNet is part of the CDC’s Advanced Molecular Detection initiative which supports innovative approaches to identifying and protecting the public against public health threats.