BIOHIT HealthCare is now distributing three new particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassays (PETIAs) for the rapid and differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.
The new product line from IDK – TurbiCAL, TurbiFIT and TurbiPEL – can be used to detect the key biomarkers calprotectin, haemoglobin and pancreatic elastase in patient stool samples far more quickly than their enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) equivalents, using existing clinical chemistry analysers. The rapid turbidimetry technology relies on agglutination reactions between antigens and their complementary antibodies – monoclonal for TurbiCAL and TurbiPEL, polyclonal for TurbiFIT – coated onto latex particles, and shows good correlation to corresponding ELISA technologies.
All three parameters can be determined from a single stool sample extract using the IDK TurbiTUBE designed for IDK turbidimetric assays. The TurbiTUBE, which can be loaded directly onto the analyser, allows easy, clean and precise preparation of the stool sample extracts using a universal extraction buffer.
TurbiCAL allows the timely differential diagnosis between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and is also used to monitor intestinal inflammation and disease activity in IBD patients. TurbiCAL therefore helps diagnose bowel inflammation quickly, minimise bowel damage and expedite treatment. TurbiPEL, on the other hand, can be used to identify exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and to monitor the levels of digestive enzymes that these patients produce. TurbiFIT detects traces of blood in stool (faecal occult blood), which serves as a preliminary screening test for colorectal cancer in asymptomatic patients, as well as a test for possible bowel diseases in patients with lower abdominal symptoms.
The kits are available as 100, 200 and 800 test kit packages, and include ready-to-use reagents, as well as supporting materials that guide the user through different protocols. These new turbidimetric GI tests extend and complement BIOHIT's repertoire of diagnostic and monitoring kits for gastroenterology.