Hospital-Acquired Infections Diagnostics Market Growing Rapidly

These are the latest findings of Kalorama Information (New York, NY, USA), an independent medical market research firm.

With 5% of the nearly 40 million hospital visits a year in the United States resulting in a HAI, nearly 100,000 people die each year from nosocomial infections, a fifth of these from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) alone. According to the report, the most common HAIs--also known as nosocomial infections--include MRSA, tuberculosis, and urinary tract infections. In the intensive care unit (ICU), where infection is most harmful due to the compromised status of patients, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a growing problem.

The need to combat HAIs has led to increased sales of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products designed to test for these infections, a market, which grew by 10% in 2011 alone, reaching a value of USD 1.2 billion. The simplest tests consist of a nostril swab to detect MRSA and assist in admissions screening to reduce the spread of the disease. Specific to tuberculosis, identifying the M. tuberculosis organism is necessary for diagnosis, and methods include imaging or the Mantoux skin test. More complicated testing areas including drug resistance and susceptibility testing, DNA sequencing, solid-phase hybridization, microarrays, phage-based assays, and many more.

“Nosocomial infections are a fact of life in healthcare right now; as one infection may decline, a new infection appears, or there is an increase in the incidence of another,” said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. “Speed is essential in identifying these infections, and there are a host of tests out there, targeting specific infections, and offering fast results.”

Nosocomial infections are commonly transmitted when hospital officials become complacent and personnel do not practice correct hygiene regularly. Also, increased use of outpatient treatment means people who are hospitalized are more ill and have more weakened immune systems than may have been true in the past. Moreover, some medical procedures bypass the body's natural protective barriers. Additionally, since medical staff circulates from patient to patient, the staff itself often serves as vectors for spreading pathogens.

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