WELCOME! WELCOME!

That's right we're back, returning from our may hiatus (I was too busy organising and redesigning the catalogue page) to talk to you about Microbiologics' range of multiplex QC panels for Cepheid GeneXpert and the BioFire film array panels.

As you can see, we're talking about five specific panels that have a range of targets and are intended for use with specific panels and instruments. To break it down for you:

For the Cepheid Xpert GI Panel:

• #8267: GI Verification Panel (Pellet) - 11 Targets. Negative Control - Patient relevant matrix.
• #8248: GI Control Panel (Swab) - 11 Targets. Negative Control - Patient relevant matrix.

For the BioFire BCID2 Panel:

• #8254: BCID Control Panel (Pellet) - 43 Targets. Negative Control - Blank pellet.

For the BioFire respiratory 2.1 Panel:

• #8247: Respiratory Control Panel (Pellet) - 22 Targets. Negative Control - Blank Pellet.

For the BioFire Gastrointestinal panel:

• #8236: GI Control Panel (Pellet) - 22 Targets. Negative Control - Blank pellet.

Why you should use third-party controls in your lab

Within clinical laboratories, it is important to ascertain and maintain the highest possible standards of accuracy and reliability in test performance.

Therefore, routine internal quality control checks are integral to this process and are performed daily, sometimes multiple times per day, weekly or monthly.

This routine QC ensures the precision and reliability of both analytical instruments and their reagents. Some key benefits to using third-party controls are as follows:

• They allow for the independent and unbiased assessment of instruments and method performance.
• They are highly consolidated QC materials, this means that the laboratory can save time, space and costs by combining multiple controls into a single, efficient solution.
• Compliance with ISO 15189 is a point that is always spoken about, especially when UKAS visits are incoming. The use of third-party QCs helps laboratories meet these stringent regulatory and accreditation requirements, ensuring high standards of practice.

So why choose Microbiologics?

In their own words, Microbiologics "maximises the advantages of external controls by engineering QC products to resemble patient samples in the manner of sample collection and handling".

Their controls are available as lyophilised swab and pellet formats, with their molecular controls designed to be processed as if they were patient samples. They have a vast portfolio for the KWIK-STIKs alone, including the major syndromic groups of infectious disease. Chances are if you are looking for a control, whether it's syndrome, or system, specific, Microbiologics have a control for it.