Supporting proactive infection control with Bruker IR Biotyper system, now available from Beckman Coulter

Each year, 4.3 million patients acquire at least one HAI in European hospitals, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.¹ 

HAIs can lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and reduced quality of life,^2,3 as well as substantial financial losses for healthcare systems.^3,4 Importantly, at least 20% of HAIs are thought to be preventable by infection control measures.¹

Understanding the chain of infection is crucial—this includes the pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, means of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Interrupting this chain at any point can prevent the spread of infection.⁵

Supporting proactive infection control with the IR Biotyper®  system

Efficient microorganism strain typing is vital in healthcare settings, for infection control, epidemiological studies, and to better understand the causes of infection. However, traditional strain typing technologies like pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) are time-consuming and resource-intensive, and not commonly available in microbiological laboratories.

Fast, easy-to-use, and economical, the IR Biotyper® system addresses⁶ this challenge by using infrared spectroscopy to classify microor­ganism strains with high specificity. Its discriminatory power is comparable to routine molecular genetic methods.

The IR Biotyper® system’s ability to perform real-time strain typing⁶, along with its efficient software, allows for proactive infection control.

Here’s what some of the customers are saying:

Dr. Juan de Dios Caballero, Associate Dr. in Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid

“We have successfully tested the IR Biotyper® er for the identification of outbreaks caused by ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, GES-carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecium. In all cases we have observed good correspondence with classical typing techniques (PFGE) and/or with massive sequencing techniques.

We are also exploring the IR Biotyper® to distinguish contaminating microorganisms from blood cultures and joint prosthesis infections. In both cases we are isolating coagulase-negative staphylococci from diverse samples and are quickly testing if we have the same microorganism.”

Dr. Elena De Carolis, Department of Microbiology at the University Hospital Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome

“The IR Biotyper® is going to become a reliable and useful tool to perform a “Real-Time” hospital surveillance strategy in our hospital. Thanks to the biochemical fingerprint approach based on FT-IR spectroscopy, it is possible to type diverse bacterial isolates using a rapid and easy to use technology. Showing good correlation with molecular typing technologies, the IR Biotyper® will help to overcome the spread of multidrug resistant microorganisms in the future.”

Learn more: Beckman Coulter Now Offers the Bruker IR Biotyper

References:

1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Point Prevalence Survey of Healthcare- Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Use in European Acute Care Hospitals, 2022-2023. Publications Office; 2024. Accessed January 8, 2025. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2900/88011
2. Pittet D, Allegranzi B, Storr J, et al. Infection control as a major World Health Organisation priority for developing countries. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2008;68(4):285-292. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2007.12.013
3. Gidey K, Gidey MT, Hailu BY, Gebreamlak ZB, Niriayo YL. Clinical and economic burden of healthcare-associated infections: A prospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2023;18(2):e0282141. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0282141
4. Guest JF, Keating T, Gould D, Wigglesworth N. Modelling the annual NHS costs and outcomes attributable to healthcare-associated infections in England. BMJ Open. 2020;10(1):e033367. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2019-033367
5. Jacob G, Cummins MN. The Concept of Chain of Infection and Infection Control Principles. In: Tutorial Topics in Infection for the Combined Infection Training Programme. Oxford University Press; 2019. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198801740.003.0027
6.  IR Biotyper® Microbial strain typing for real-time epidemiology brochure - Bruker 06-2022, 1897402