{
  "id": 5006085,
  "title": "High-Throughput, automated assay for detection of colonization by Candida auris",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/high-throughput-automated-assay-for-detection-of-colonization-by",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.748466v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen, has been linked to healthcare-associated outbreaks, persistent colonization, and invasive infections. As demand for surveillance grows, there is a need for high-throughput methods to support large-scale screening programs. Researchers have developed and validated an automated laboratory-developed real-time PCR assay for detecting C. auris colonization on the Hologic Panther Fusion(R) open-access platform, comparing its performance with the BD MAX assay.\n\nThe Panther Fusion(R) assay showed a limit of detection of around 18 colony-forming units per reaction and achieved 97% overall agreement with the BD MAX assay. The agreement between the methods was excellent ({kappa} = 0.94), with no cross-reactivity observed with non-C. auris organisms. The assay successfully detected all five major C. auris clades and maintained stability across operators, reagent, and specimen storage conditions. In the first 26,838 clinical specimens tested on the Panther Fusion(R) platform, the assay yielded lower equivocal (0.28%) and indeterminate (0.09%) rates compared to the other platforms. Among PCR-positive specimens that underwent culture, the Panther Fusion(R) assay demonstrated an 87.24% agreement. While retrospective data were collected during varying testing periods and patient populations, the comparison between platforms was not used to assess relative assay sensitivity or specificity. By implementing the Panther Fusion(R) assay, surveillance testing capacity increased from roughly 88 to 500 specimens per shift, while preserving robust analytical performance.",
  "summary": "Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen associated with healthcare-associated outbreaks, persistent colonization, and invasive infections. Increasing demand for surveillance has created a need for high-throughput methods capable of supporting large-scale screening programs. We developed and validated an automated laboratory-developed real-time PCR assay for detection of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}