Laboratory

Product Documents

PNA FISH Documents

PI - KT009 - US
US Package Insert for Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH

Brochure - PNA FISH for Candida
Fluconazole vs. Echinocandin

PI - KT009 - EU
EU - Package Insert for Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH

Scientific Posters

ASM 2010 PNA FISH Traffic Light Probes for Identification of Candida Species from Blood Cultures
The Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH probes are rapid and reliable for the identification of five Candida species from positive...

ASM 2007 - Evaluation of Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH for detection of High Prevalence Candida Species
The YTL assay provided a positive result in 90% (73/81) of yeast+ BC. The test splits the vast majority of yeast+ BC into three...

Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH

For in vitro diagnostic use.

Yeast Traffic Light™ PNA FISH™ (Cat. No. KT009) is a multicolor, qualitative nucleic acid hybridization assay intended for identification of Candida albicans and/or Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata and/or Candida krusei from positive blood cultures.

Yeast Traffic Light™ PNA FISH provides rapid identification of up to five Candida species on smears made directly from Yeast-positive blood cultures and is compatible with all major blood culture media. The fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay uses fluorescently labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes that target the species-specific ribosomal RNA (rRNA) of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata and Candida krusei. Results are visualized using fluorescence microscopy. Green fluorescing cells identify C. albicans and/or C. parapsilosis, yellow fluorescing cells identify C. tropicalis and red fluorescing cells identify C. glabrata and/or C. krusei. A negative result indicates the absence of these five organisms.

Features and Benefits

Results Reporting - Rapid Identification for 95-99% of Yeast+ Blood Cultures in Hours Instead of Days (2).

Once a blood culture turns positive, a Gram stain is performed. If the Gram stain reveals Yeast, Yeast Traffic Light™ PNA FISH is performed and results are available to be reported to the attending physician within a few hours instead of days.

Optimizing Antifungal Therapy for Candidemia
- Enable targeted therapy guidance for 95-99% of yeast species from positive blood cultures, 48-72 hours faster than conventional practice
- Ensure appropriate therapy for up to 5 Candida yeast species
- Improve patient care by providing clinicians rapid species ID to guide appropriate antifungal therapy (3)

Candidemia is a bloodstream infection that is initially diagnosed when a blood culture turns positive with Candida species. It is one of the most serious hospital-acquired infections and is on the rise due to the increasing population of immuno-compromised transplantation, oncology and AIDS patients. The infection is associated with a high mortality rate and can be difficult to treat due in part to increasing resistance to antifungal agents in such species as Candida glabrata and Candida krusei.

According to “Guidelines for Treatment of Candidiasis” published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), “knowledge of the infecting species, however, is highly predictive of likely (antifungal) susceptibility and can be used as a guide to therapy”. While antifungal therapy can be based on species identification, conventional laboratory methods can take up to 5 days or more. As a result, patients are often treated empirically with broad-spectrum agents which are known to be nephrotoxic, expensive or both (1).

Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH is the first three color PNA FISH assay designed to provide therapy guiding results based on the five most common and clinically relevant Candida species. Candida bloodstream infections are often treated with fluconazole, or other azole drugs; however, some Candida species are resistant to fluconazole. This assay identifies Candida species that are typically susceptible to fluconazole (C. albicans and C. parapsilosis - GREEN) and resistant or likely resistant to fluconazole (C. glabrata and C. krusei - RED)(4). The test also detects C. tropicalis with yellow fluorescence. Although C. tropicalis can usually be treated with a normal fluconazole dose, this species frequently displays so-called trailing resistance (2). Yeast Traffic Light PNA FISH provides results in hours, instead of days, allowing labs to quickly report results to physicians and pharmacists, helping to ensure optimal therapy and outcomes for patients with candidemia.

Fridkin et al. The changing face of fungal infections in health care settings. Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Nov 15;41(10):1455-60. - Link
Pfaller et al. Trends in Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida spp. Isolated from Pediatric and Adult Patients with Bloodstream Infections: SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program J. Clin. Microbiol. 2002 Mar.;40(3)852-63. - Link
Forrest et al. Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization-Based Identification of Candida albicans and Its Impact on Mortality and Antifungal Therapy Costs. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2006 Sept.; 44(9):3381-3383 - Link
Pappas et al. Guidelines for treatment of candidiasis. Clin. Inf. Dis. 2004 Jan. 15;38(2):161-89. - Link

PN1545A