New Tool for Adenoviral Conjunctivitis
Clinical studies of conjunctivitis with laboratory confirmation indicate that it’s often difficult to differentiate bacterial from viral forms of acute conjunctivitis by relying on signs or symptoms or both.8 In past studies, corneal and external disease specialists’ clinical diagnosis of adenoviral conjunctivitis had laboratory confirmation in only 20-25% of cases. For that reason, this study utilizes a rapid immunoassay applied to conjunctival scrapings (Figure 3) that can be performed in the examining lane and quickly and easily processed by a technician.
Conjunctival scrapings can be processed for adenoviral antigens in approximately 10 minutes using the RPS Adeno Detector Plus immunoassay for in-office detection.
The RPS Adeno Detector Plus is a point-of-care immunoassay that has 93% sensitivity and 96% specificity. It takes approximately 10 minutes to perform. The monoclonal antibodies used in the assay detect all 53 adenoviral serotypes. The device has a self-contained element used for conjunctival scraping and a colorimetric binary readout similar to urine pregnancy tests. This assay is FDA 510(k) cleared, CLIA-waived and commercially available. It has a unique Medicare procedural CPT code, 87809qw, which more than covers the cost of the test kit.
Source – www.ophthalmologymanagement.com