In order to diagnose foodborne diseases, physicians are turning more and more to culture-independent diagnostic techniques (CIDTs), or molecular methods that do not require bacteria in the stool to be grown and cultured. The GI FilmArray from BioFire is a prime example of a CIDT and can test for over 20 foodborne pathogens in a given stool sample. With increased use of these CIDTs to identify GI pathogens, more organisms are being detected. Approximately 25% of all positive test results from GI FilmArray detect two or more pathogens in the stool (co-detections). This poses a significant challenge to physicians and public health as the clinical and epidemiological relevance of detecting multiple gastrointestinal pathogens is unknown. Thus, the primary objective of the BioFire project is to better understand the epidemiology and clinical relevance of co-detections of gastrointestinal (GI) illness detected via the GI FilmArray.
OSU Project Team: Barbara Kowalcyk (Co-PI), Drew Barkley
Collaborators: Juliana Ruzante (Co-PI, RTI International), Ross Maltz (Co-PI, Nationwide Children’s Hospital)
Timeline: March 2021 – March 2022
Funding Sources: BioFire (Biomerieux)