New Medium Detects Enteric Pathogens by Simple Color Change

HardyCHROM SS and MALDI saved 50% on stool cultures and cut the turnaround time by two days

Santa Maria, California; June 18, 2013 – Hardy Diagnostics, an ISO certified biomedical firm, is pleased to announce the release of HardyCHROM™ SS, a highly selective chromogenic medium recommended for use as a primary screening medium for the isolation and differentiation of both Salmonella and Shigella spp. from stool cultures.

A recent scientific study performed by the University of Washington, School of Medicine in Seattle, concluded the following: HardyCHROMTM SS Agar combined with MALDI-TOF-MS improved the turnaround time for the reporting of negative results by up to two days, as well as reduced the costs associated with stool cultures by almost 50%. The study was presented at 2013 ASM conference held in Denver, CO. Copy of the poster can be seen at www.HardyDiagnostics.com/scientific_posters.html.

In addition, HardyCHROMTM SS Agar successfully recovered all Salmonella and Shigella isolates tested and yielded the expected color reactions in all cases. HardyCHROMTM SS Agar demonstrated improved sensitivity and specificity over MacConkey and HE Agars.

With this new medium, Salmonella and Shigella can easily be distinguished from non-pathogenic enteric bacteria based on colony color. HardyCHROM™ SS represents the first and only chromogenic culture medium that simultaneously detects both Salmonella and Shigella spp. while ruling out non-pathogenic enteric bacteria (both lactose and non-lactose-fermenting organisms). Most Proteus spp. do not produce black colonies (H2S) and do not produce a color change on this medium and therefore cannot be confused with Salmonella and Shigella.

HardyCHROM™ SS contains patented ingredients that produce superior differentiation of colonies, reduces the need for secondary testing of isolates, and results in fewer false-positives. HardyCHROM™ SS allows the laboratory technologist to use less culture media when setting up stool cultures while significantly reducing turnaround time.

ABOUT HARDY DIAGNOSTICS

Hardy Diagnostics is an employee owned company that is a FDA licensed and ISO 13485 certified manufacturer of medical devices for microbiological procedures in both clinical and industrial laboratories. The company manufactures over 3,500 products for the culture and identification of bacteria and fungi from its Santa Maria, California headquarters and its Springboro, Ohio facility. Currently over 8,000 laboratories are serviced by Hardy Diagnostics throughout the nation.

The company was founded in 1980 by Jay Hardy, a Clinical Laboratory Scientist from Santa Barbara, CA. Today, Hardy Diagnostics maintains eight distribution centers throughout the U.S. and exports products to over 40 foreign distributors.

The company’s mission is to partner with its laboratory customers to prevent and diagnose disease. For more information, visit http://www.HardyDiagnostics.com/HardyChromSS.html

Contact Information:
Contact Person: Christopher Catani
Company Name: HARDY DIAGNOSTICS
Address: 1430 West McCoy Lane, Santa Maria, CA 93455
Email: [email protected]