Copan Offers Kit for Swine Flu Sample Collection

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 40 human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus in the United States and the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." As the swine flu outbreak develops, physicians' offices, hospital clinics, and emergency rooms prepare to accommodate patients with symptoms of respiratory viral infection.

Copan Diagnostics' range of patented flocked swabs have been shown in many independent clinical studies to improve the results of respiratory virus diagnostic tests by collecting more patient specimen and then delivering the entire sample into the assay platform or cell culture tube. Copan Universal Transport Medium (UTM) used with Copan Flocked Swabs is the optimum kit combination for virology culture, rapid antigen testing, and DFA testing; and the use of the combined products is also a universal open platform collection and transport system that has been successfully used for culture, EIA, PCR and other molecular based assays.

"We are ramping up production of Flocked Swabs and UTM to address the potential demand" says Norman Sharples, Copan Executive VP. "Our production of Flocked Swabs and UTM has been increased to include shifts 24 hours per day, and we are working closely with our distribution partners to help supply them in case the Swine Flu outbreak escalates further" Sharples affirms.

In cases of influenza, collecting a proper sample in a timely manner is crucial. Copan Flocked Swabs, as opposed to traditional nasopharyngeal washes or aspirates, facilitate the easier sample collection and produce comparable results. Also, by using a Flocked Swab and UTM, the sample collection can be done in outpatient departments and remote sites and can be safely transported to the laboratories for testing.

To optimize results, Copan has worked with scientists and physicians to develop several training videos in English and Spanish on the correct procedures to properly collect nasopharyngeal swab samples for the diagnosis of respiratory virus infections, like the Swine Flu. The videos are available on the company's website and are free of charge, visit Copan's Educational and Training Resource page.