Technology Would Allow Easy Diagnosis In Point-Of-Care Setting.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 6- (NewsRx Network) -- Quidel Corporation (QDEL) announced receipt of additional patent protection for its Layered Thin Film (LTF) Technology by which a doctors office or other point-of-care setting can use volatile amines detected in vaginal fluid as a surrogate marker for quick and accurate diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis.

The recently issued U.S. Patent, No. 6,200,817 B1, covered the use of proprietary Quidel LTF technology to detect surrogate markers for vaginal clue cells present in bacterial vaginosis (BV) quickly, easily, and accurately in point-of-care settings. The surrogate markers point to the presence of clue cells, which are vaginal epithelial cells covered with anaerobic bacteria. The presence of clue cells indicates a major, pathological disruption of the protective normal vaginal microflora. These cells can be found in vaginal fluid specimens of women suffering from the most common form of infectious vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis.

"Until recently, the detection of vaginal clue cells required time-consuming microscopic evaluation of vaginal fluid specimens," said S. Wayne Kay, Quidel. "While vaginal clue cells are the most specific indicator of BV, their detection by microscope is subjective, highly dependent on the skill and training of the microscopist, ...