To align with laboratory improvements concerning the handling and processing of high-throughput specimens, a whole-process validation was undertaken to streamline Enteropathogen workflows in the Sullivan Nicolaides Molecular Pathology department. Modifications and/or improvements from this proposed workflow revision were multifaceted and included; validation of alternate swab media for stool inoculation and preservation, use of the MGISTP-7000 specimen handling instrument to permit streamlined processing of up to 192 samples in a single instance, bulk preparation of chemical lysis mix ahead of nucleic acid extraction, reduction in the incidence of contamination events associated with manual handling of specimens, and overall streamlining of processes and improvement of turnaround times for ever-increasing Enteropathogen assay requests.
At the time of validation, all faecal assays currently in-use were assessed and included Roche LightMix Bacteria and Parasite, Seegene GI-Virus, Clostridium difficile in-house TaqMan, Escherichia coli Virulence Factors Conventional Multiplex, and an in-development Seegene Helminths assays.