NEW YORK – Chembio Diagnostics said today that is has obtained CE marking for a test that allows simultaneous and discrete detection of antibodies for both active and prior exposure to the Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses, an important function for treatment and surveillance.
Medford, New York-based ChemBio said its DPP Zika/Dengue/Chikungunya point-of-care test uses 10 microliters of blood from a fingertip and provides quantitative results in about 15 minutes while operating with the firm's handheld DPP Micro Reader.
"Co-circulation of these three arboviruses, which can produce similar patient symptoms, hampers clinical differential diagnoses," John Sperzel, Chembio’s CEO, said in a statement. "We believe our multiplex test can be an important tool in combating these serious and sometimes deadly diseases."
He said that the firm is preparing to commercialize the test in eligible European and Caribbean nations.
In April, the firm announced it had received Brazilian health agency approval for its DPP Zika/Dengue/Chikungunya point-of-care system in collaboration with Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, a Brazilian government agency and supplier of diagnostic products to the country's Ministry of Health.