While market growth is due in part to the increased use of multiplex testing in which many analytes from single or multiple samples undergo high-throughput semi-automated screening, there remains an underlying need for only single sample testing for one analyte.
A viral co-infection rate >30% supports the use of multiplex testing for viral and bacterial pathogens in children with respiratory infections of uncertain etiology.
To overcome limitations concerning the use of several monoplex tests in parallel and the resulting shortage of sample volume, the development of multiplex tests for a fast and exact identification is necessary.
During February 1 , 2010 January 31 , 2012a total of 2,898 respiratory specimens were tested for M. pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae by using a multiplex testing real-time assay (ProPneumo-1 Assay; Gen-Probe Inc., San Diego, CA, USA).
Current trends are to use a combination of biomarkers notably cytokines with multiplex tests providing simultaneous measurements of several biomarkers from a single biological sample.
The use of a multiplex design allows for simultaneous testing for numerous species, reducing processing and handling times, lowering costs and reducing the amount of DNA extract required for testing.
More frequently, multiplex tests that assess a broad range of conditions in a single test can unexpectedly reveal secondary information.
Multiplex tests are being developed which allow for the simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens.
BioFire Diagnostics' FilmArray panels, a type of multiplex PCR test, are increasingly used in hospitals for much of their standard microbiology identification.
As a first stage of testing, multiplex PCR tests have been used to detect enteroviruses, herpes simplex 1 and 2, and varicella zoster (27, 28 ).
