Quest to develop laboratory tests and support
public health reporting and laboratory readiness for CDC's
preparedness strategy; Company to introduce clinical testing for
avian flu later this month based on one of the awards
SECAUCUS, N.J., Oct. 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest
Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leading provider of diagnostic
information services, today announced that it has been awarded
several contracts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to support testing and sustained laboratory
readiness for two emerging infectious diseases recently identified
in people in the Americas.
The agreements will support the nation's preparedness for avian
influenza and Oropouche viruses by ensuring a national commercial
laboratory provider is able to quickly supplement public health
laboratories in the event there is an infectious diseases outbreak
in people. The contracts also provide funding to enable the company
to maintain testing readiness, such as for adequate supplies of
certain equipment and chemical reagents used to perform the tests,
on a sustained basis.
Quest will introduce an immediate response molecular laboratory
test to aid in the detection of avian influenza A H5 virus. The new
multi-target molecular diagnostic test is intended for use in
people suspected of being infected with influenza A H5 virus. The
test will be available with a prescription from a provider for
clinical purposes at the end of the month.i Quest's
advanced laboratory in San Juan
Capistrano, California, developed and will perform the
test.
With support from CDC, Quest developed the test as part of our
ongoing pandemic response efforts. The test helps detect influenza
A H5 virus, including A(H5N1), but does not detect seasonal
influenza A subtypes, influenza B or other respiratory viruses. The
test is intended to be performed using respiratory or conjunctiva
specimens collected from people suspected of being infected with
influenza A H5 virus, or who meet the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention clinical and/or epidemiological criteria for
testing.ii Quest's patient service centers will not
provide specimen collection for the test.
Avian influenza A(H5N1) virus is a subtype of influenza A virus.
Quest and many other commercial laboratories provide nationwide
testing for influenza A virus, including seasonal virus
subtyping, and other respiratory viruses, but not the H5
subtyping needed to identify avian influenza. Today, specimens that
test positive for influenza A virus by Quest or another commercial
laboratory, and for which the provider has reason to suspect avian
influenza, would need to be sent to state/local public health
laboratories or CDC for testing to identify an avian influenza
virus infection. With the introduction of the new Quest test this
month, physicians can now order testing from a national commercial
laboratory, increasing access and testing capacity, should testing
need increase. Providers would suspect avian influenza virus
infection based on the presence of certain flu-like symptoms or
exposure to an infected person or animal.
"Emerging diseases like avian influenza require close
coordination between the commercial laboratory industry and the CDC
and other federal and state agencies to monitor and mobilize a
rapid response," said Yuri Fesko,
MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Quest
Diagnostics. "We appreciate CDC's commitment to improving
preparedness for any potential future emergencies and the support
these contracts will provide to enable us to maintain the
infrastructure necessary to act quickly when needed to counteract
future health threats."
Avian influenza is currently widespread in wild birds worldwide
and is causing outbreaks in U.S. poultry and dairy cows with recent
sporadic human cases primarily among farm workers exposed to
infected animals. While the current public health risk is low, CDC
is monitoring the situation closely.
CDC has also awarded Quest a contract to develop diagnostics to
aid the detection of Oropouche virus, an emerging virus in the
Americas that is spread to people by infected biting midges and
some mosquito species.
"While the threat of avian influenza and Oropouche virus to the
public remains low, we applaud CDC for its forward-thinking
approach to ensuring commercial laboratories are prepared to
quickly mobilize should a serious threat to human health emerge,"
said Elizabeth Marlowe, PhD,
Executive Scientific Director at Quest Diagnostics.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics works across
the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a
time. We provide diagnostic insights from the results of our
laboratory testing to empower people, physicians and organizations
to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the
world's largest databases of de-identifiable clinical lab results,
Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and
treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare
management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult
Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our more than 50,000
employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right
context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform
lives and create a healthier world. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
i This test is an Immediate Response test and
can only be ordered by a licensed healthcare professional (for
prescription use only). This test has not been reviewed or
authorized by FDA. It was developed and its analytical performance
characteristics determined by Quest Diagnostics pursuant to CLIA
regulations for clinical purposes.
ii Case Definitions for Investigations of Human
Infection with Avian Influenza A Viruses in the United States | Bird Flu | CDC
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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics