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BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY®  Meningitis/ Encephalitis (ME) Panel

1 Test. 14 Targets. ~1 Hour. 

The BIOFIRE ME Panel provides answers on 14 of the most common bacterial, viral, and yeast pathogens that cause central nervous system infections to help healthcare providers rapidly distinguish between bacterial and viral meningitis and optimize life-saving therapy. 

  

Disclaimer: Product availability varies by country. Please consult your local bioMérieux representative for product availability in your country.

BIOFIRE ME Panel

Overview

Syndromic Infectious Disease Testing for Meningitis/Encephalitis

Meningitis affects more than 2 million people, and bacterial meningitis causes 300,000 deaths worldwide each year.1 It often affects healthy people, but environmental factors and immunocompromised conditions (due, for example, to HIV or chemotherapy) are significant risks. Meningitis can cause brain damage, hearing loss, and death. Symptoms can appear suddenly and escalate quickly, so rapid diagnosis is critical to patient outcomes. Due to overlapping symptoms, rapid identification of the causative pathogen is not possible based on clinical presentation alone.2,3

The BIOFIRE ME Panel tests cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for 14 of the most common pathogens responsible for community-acquired meningitis or encephalitis, including bacteria, viruses, and yeast. It is designed for use with the integrated BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® TORCH System, an FDA, CE-IVD, and TGA certified multiplex PCR system. 

  

Every Minute Counts When It Comes to Meningitis

It takes just one small sample of 0.2 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and about an hour to deliver accurate results. Testing CSF for multiple pathogens has previously been problematic because it may be difficult to obtain enough fluid from the patient to run multiple tests. With fast results in about an hour (instead of days) the BIOFIRE ME Panel has been shown to shorten time to diagnosis, increase diagnostic yield, reduce antimicrobial duration, and shorten hospital stays.4

Don’t lose another minute with the BIOFIRE ME Panel:

  • Simple: 2 minutes hands-on time
  • Fast: Turnaround time of about 1 hour
  • Comprehensive: Simultaneously tests for 14 targets
  • Accurate: 94.2% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity5

  

BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel Testing Versus Standard of Care

References

1. https://www.comomeningitis.org/types-of-meningitis. Accessed October 26, 2023

2. Bamberger DM. Am Fam Physician. 2010;82:1491-1498.

3. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/meningitis. Accessed October 26, 2023.

4. Cailleaux M, et al. (2020) Eur.J.Clin.Microbiol.Infect. Dis.39:293-297

5. Overall performance based on prospective clinical study for the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel, data on file, BioFire Diagnostics.

Panel Menu

The BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel Menu

Bacteria

  • Escherichia coli K1
  • Haemophilus influenzae
  • Listeria monocytogenes
  • Neisseria meningitidis
  • Streptococcus agalactiae
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae

Viruses

  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
  • Enterovirus (EV)
  • Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
  • Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)
  • Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)
  • Human parechovirus (HPeV)
  • Varicella zoster virus (VZV)

Yeast

  • Cryptococcus (C. neoformans/C. gattii)

FDA cleared

Services & Support

Customer Support: bioMérieux offers the best available support with dedicated BIOFIRE® technical experts.

Application Specialists: bioMérieux offers dedicated support teams who are available to help set up equipment and troubleshoot any issues.

For assistance: please contact our customer technical support team at biofiresupport@biomerieux.com

Specs & Resources

Technical Specifications

Sample HandlingPerformance Parameters
Sample Type: Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)Hands-on Time: Approximately 2 Minutes
Sample Volume: 0.2 mLRun Time: ~1 Hour
Product NamePart NumberQuantity
BIOFIRE® ME Panel Reagent KitRFIT-ASY-011830 Pouches
RFIT-ASY-01196 Pouches

Resources

BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel Information Sheet

Download

Clinical Impact of the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel

Download

BIOFIRE® All Panels Information Sheet

Download

BIOFIRE® All Panels Information Sheet - plus version

Download

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