PNEUMONIA PANEL PLUS (FILMARRAY-BIOFIRE)

Pneumonia Test (BioFire FilmArray)

It is a panel of tests done to find the infectious agent responsible for causing pneumonia. It also detects the presence of antimicrobial resistant genes. This test is also called biofire pneumonia panel test or film array pneumonia panel test. Pneumonia is type of lung infection where there is inflammation of air sacs, which can get filled with fluid or pus. It can affect one or both the lungs. The symptoms may vary from mild to severe, sometimes even life threatening. This occurs usually in babies and small children, adults over 65 years, and those with co-morbidities such as asthma, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Pneumonia is an infection which can be due to bacteria, virus, or sometimes fungi or parasites.

The common symptoms of pneumonia are:

• Productive cough (with phlegm)
• High grade Fever associated with chills
• Difficulty in breathing
• Chest pain on breathing/coughing
• Fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting and loose motions

Bacterial pneumonia occurs usually due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Group A Streptococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, etc. This can occur by itself or following an episode of common cold/flu. It may affect one lobe of lung so also called lobar pneumonia.

Pneumonia due to bacteria-like organisms occurs due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It causes mild symptoms and doesn’t make the patient bed ridden usually. Thus, called walking pneumonia.

Fungal pneumonia-it occurs in individuals with low immunity such as with AIDS, on chemotherapy, steroids or chronic health conditions.

Viral pneumonia-it usually causes mild symptoms but sometimes can be serious such as in COVID 19 infection.

Why is Pneumonia Test (BioFire FilmArray) prescribed?

The health care provider may order this film array test in those patients diagnosed with pneumonia to find the etiological agent responsible for the disease. This helps in providing prompt and appropriate treatment, thus preventing severe morbidity and mortality.

The advantages of Pneumonia Test are:

• Quick result
• High sensitivity and specificity
• Shorten hospital stay
• Reduce cost of treatment
• Reduction in unnecessary antibiotic use
• Accurate treatment
• Most bacteria are reported semi quantitatively, which helps the clinicians to determine whether an organism is a colonizer or a pathogen.
• Detection of antimicrobial resistance genes

What are the components of the Pneumonia Test?

The test targets the following:

• Bacteria-Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumanni complex , Enterobacter cloacae complex ,Escherichia coli ,Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae group, Moraxella catarrhalis, Proteus spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Legionella pneumophilia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Viruses- Influenza A, Influenza B, Adenovirus, Coronavirus , Parainfluenza virus ,Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human Metapneumovirus, Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome corona virus
• Antimicrobial resistant genes- ESBL: CTX-M Carbapenemases: KPC,NDM,Oxa48-like,VIM,IMP, Methicillin Resistance: mecA/C and MREJ

Procedure and Prerequisites

This test uses multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology to quickly find out etiological agent of pneumonia in a particular patient. It is done on a sample of sputum, endotracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage. The test reports most of the bacterial concentration in genome copies/ml. If culture report is negative if patient is already on antibiotics or if organism is fastidious,this test helps in identification.