Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., an infectious disease diagnostics company using genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced publication of research in The New England Journal of Medicine conducted using the company’s epiXactSM service for hospital-acquired infection (HAI) outbreak investigations.
The article, Drug-Resistant E. coli Bacteremia Transmitted by Fecal Microbiota Transplant,1 describes how researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) acted swiftly to find the cause of the first known patient death due to fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). Given the importance of this investigation, MGH enlisted Day Zero Diagnostics’ rapid turnaround epiXact service to provide high-resolution, whole genome sequencing based analysis of the infections. EpiXact provided a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) comparison of the pathogens in 36 hours to make the determination of transmission, while other diagnostic methods were inconclusive.
“We are gratified that epiXact was able to provide a high-resolution determination in this critical investigation,” said Miriam Huntley, Ph.D., co-founder and CTO of Day Zero Diagnostics, and a co-author of the paper. “Our multiyear research collaboration with MGH doing pathogen sequencing enabled us to determine that these FMT-related infections were distinct from other E. coli infections we had seen at MGH, providing confidence in the determination of transmission.”
EpiXact is a rapid turnaround whole genome sequencing and analysis service designed to help infection control professionals quickly and confidently determine which infections are part of a suspected outbreak. When infections are related, hospitals can make fast and informed decisions to implement potentially life-saving measures to control an outbreak, reduce patient harm, and increase patient safety. Powered by Day Zero Diagnostic’s technology platform, results from epiXact are provided within two days via an easy-to-understand report that is designed for infection control professionals.
About Day Zero Diagnostics
Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., based in Boston, is pioneering a new class of infectious disease diagnostics using whole genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections. The company’s mission is to develop diagnostics capable of identifying both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of a severe infection within hours, enabling physicians to provide faster and more precise treatments. Day Zero Diagnostics was founded in 2016 by a team of clinicians and scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The company has been recognized as a leading innovator by MedTech Innovator, TedMed Hive, Xconomy, HealthTech Arkansas, and MassChallenge HealthTech. For more information visit www.dayzerodiagnostics.com.