Volume 21, Number 9—September 2015
THEME ISSUE
Emerging Infections Program
Emerging Infections Program
Effect of Culture-Independent Diagnostic Tests on Future Emerging Infections Program Surveillance
Gayle Langley
, John Besser, Martha Iwamoto, Fernanda C. Lessa, Alicia Cronquist, Tami H. Skoff, Sandra Chaves, Dave Boxrud, Robert W. Pinner, and Lee H. Harrison
, John Besser, Martha Iwamoto, Fernanda C. Lessa, Alicia Cronquist, Tami H. Skoff, Sandra Chaves, Dave Boxrud, Robert W. Pinner, and Lee H. Harrison
Table 2
Plans for measuring disease burden and analyzing microbiological and molecular characteristics in the era of culture independent diagnostics, Emerging Infections Program*
| Plan steps |
|---|
| •Conduct periodic laboratory surveys to monitor uptake of tests both within and outside Emerging Infections Program |
| •Develop and continuously evaluate criteria for accepting CIDTs into surveillance case definitions |
| •Consider whether results should be confirmed on all or a subset of detections |
| •Advocate for post-marketing evaluations of CIDTs |
| •Collect individual test types to account for the sensitivity and specificity of CIDTs |
| •Adopt methods to account for changes in testing practices that result from use of CIDTs |
| •Develop an interim strategy for collecting isolates until techniques for serotyping and antimicrobial drug testing on direct patient specimens are available |
| •Assist in the development and provide specimens to collaborators for the development of microbiological and molecular characterization directly from patient specimens |
| •Prepare for use of more advanced techniques, like whole-genome sequencing and metagenomics |
| •Consider performing surveillance for other organisms of public health importance contained in multiplex panels |
| •Contribute to the understanding of when detection equates with true infection |
*CIDT, culture-independent diagnostic test.
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