The importance of gastrointestinal pathogen research
 

Infectious gastroenteritis is a disease in which the small and/or large intestines become severely inflamed. The disease manifests mainly with diarrhea and vomiting. Diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration, while vomiting can lead to a loss of bicarbonate. Other possible complications include muscle cramps, kidney damage, and diminished urine. Depending on the pathogen causing the infection, the release of toxins can lead to secretory diarrhea, while others cause an invasive, inflammatory diarrhea.

Many pathogens that cause infectious gastroenteritis live in the intestines of animals that are later used for food. Other pathogens can live in water, and some can survive sitting in household surfaces like kitchen counters. This means that most people are under constant risk of contracting infectious gastroenteritis. In 2022, a reported outbreak of Norovirus—one of the leading causes of infectious gastroenteritis—was linked to raw oysters harvested in the state of Texas. The outbreak left over 200 people ill with infectious gastroenteritis.*

Gastrointestinal pathogen research enables laboratories to further understand the overall behavior of the pathogens that cause the disease. Given the many causes and quickness of spread of infectious gastroenteritis, it is important for laboratories to build their workflows with highly sensitive assays that can detect and differentiate between multiple pathogenic targets in the same stool sample.

*Lee, BY. CDC: Norovirus Outbreak Linked To Raw Oysters From Texas, At Least 211 Ill. Forbes. 2022. 

Benefits of molecular stool testing

Real-time PCR technology has significant advantages over other methods for identifying human pathogens. Traditional methods like culturing, immunodiagnostics, and microscopy can be inaccurate, subjective, or prone to contamination and often require repeat testing or reflex testing. Fastidious microorganisms often cannot be grown or detected using traditional methods, and long sample processing times can delay time-to-results. Molecular tests for relevant pathogens may be unavailable or lack flexibility.

Pathogens that cause gastroenteritis

Testing methods

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