Biofire filmarray – A fastest

automated PCR based way to

better results

Dr Jignesh Panchal
Introduction
User-friendly Multiplex PCR
It has set a new standard in molecular
diagnostic platforms featuring:
Unmatched usability and speed
Comprehensive panels
Results in about 60 minutes
Physicians get answers sooner 
Laboratories maximize productivity and
reduce costs
Introduction
Simple: 2 minutes of hands-on time
Easy: No precise measuring or pipetting
required
Fast: Turnaround time of about 1 hour
Comprehensive: Detection of more than
80 targets using 4 panels
Principle
Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay
◦ These panels test for multiple targets
simultaneously
◦ Methodology is real-time PCR meaning that
it amplifies and detects at the same time.
◦ It monitors the amplification of a targeted
DNA molecule during the PCR, i.e. in real-
time, and not at its end, as in conventional
PCR.
Respiratory Panel (20 Targets)
Sample : Nasopharyngeal swab in Viral Transport Medium

Viruses

◦Adenovirus
◦Coronavirus HKU1
◦Coronavirus NL63
◦Coronavirus 229E
◦Coronavirus OC43
◦Human Metapneumovirus
◦Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus
◦Influenza A
◦Influenza A/H1
◦Influenza A/H1-2009
◦ Influenza A/H3tapneumovirus
Respiratory Panel (20 Targets)
Influenza B
Parainfluenza 1
Parainfluenza 2
Parainfluenza 3
Parainfluenza 4
Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Bacteria
◦ Bordetella pertussis
◦ Chlamydophila pneumoniae
◦ Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel (14
Targets)
Meningitis affects more than 1.2
million people and bacterial meningitis
causes 1,20,000 deaths globally each year.

It often affects healthy people, but

environmental factors and
immunocompromised conditions (due, for
example, to HIV or chemotherapy) are
significant risks.
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel (14
Targets)
Meningitis can cause brain damage,
hearing loss, blindness and death. 

Symptoms can appear suddenly and

escalate quickly, so rapid diagnosis is
critical to patient outcomes.  Yet, due to
overlapping symptoms, rapid
identification of the causative agents is
not possible based on clinical indications
alone.
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel (14
Targets)
Testing CSF for multiple organisms has
previously been problematic because it may
be difficult to obtain enough fluid from the
patient to run multiple tests.

This Panel can contribute to better 

antimicrobial resistance management by
avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use; reducing
lengths of hospital stays and decrease costs.
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel (14
Targets)
Sample : CSF (Not to be centrfuged)

Bacteria
Escherichia coli K1
Haemophilus influenzae
Listeria monocytogenes
Neisseria meningitidis
Streptococcus agalactiae
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel
(14 targets)
Viruses
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Enterovirus
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)
Human parechovirus
Varicella zoster virus (VZV)
Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) Panel
(14 targets)
Yeast
Cryptococcus gattii
Cryptococcus neoformans
Blood Culture Panel (27 Targets)
Sample : Positive blood culture flagged
by machine

Gram + Bacteria
Enterococcus
Listeriamonocytogenes
Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus aureus
Streptococcus
Streptococcus agalactiae
Streptococcus pyogenes
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Blood Culture Panel (27 Targets)
Gram – Bacteria
Acinetobacter baumannii
Haemophilus influenzae
Neisseria meningitidis
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Enterobacteriaceae
Enterobacter cloacae complex
Escherichia coli
Klebsiella oxytoca
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Proteus
Serratia marcescens
Blood Culture Panel (27 Targets)
Yeast
Candida albicans
Candida glabrata
Candida krusei
Candida parapsilosis
Candida tropicalis

Antibiotic Resistance
mecA - methicillin resistant
vanA/B - vancomycin resistant
KPC - carbapenem resistant
Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel
(22 Targets)

Sample : Stool sample in carry blair medium

Detection of viruses, bacteria and parasites that cause
infectious diarrhea.

Viruses
Adenovirus F40/41
Astrovirus
Norovirus GI/GII
Rotovirus A
Sapovirus (I, II, IV, and V)
Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel
(22 Targets)
Bacteria
Campylobacter (jejuni, coli and upsaliensis)
Clostridium difficile (Toxin A/B)
Plesiomonas shigelloides
Salmonella
Yersinia enterocolitica
Vibrio (parahaemolyticus, vulnificus and
cholerae)
Vibrio cholerae
Diarrheagenic E.coli/Shigella
Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel
(22 Targets)
Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC)
Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC)
Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) 
Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)
E. coli O157
Shigella/Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)
Parasites
Cryptosporidium
Cyclospora cayetanensis
Entamoeba histolytica
Giardia lamblia
Uses & Rationale
Diagnosing infectious diseases can be
challenging.
There are often countless possibilities and
finding out what is making a patient sick often
requires rapid answers so appropriate
treatment decisions can be made.
The FilmArray is an easy-to-use multiplex
PCR system that can be used in complex
diagnostic situations that require multiple
answers in a critically short period of time.
Uses & Rationale
HAI is a global challenge. The emergence
of antimicrobial resistant organisms is
contributing to an increase in the spread
and severity of HAI. 
Sometimes HAI unnecessarily lengthen
the hospital stay and increase financial
burden over the patient.
Uses & Rationale
Antimicrobial resistant organisms are
considered one of today’s most serious
global threats to human health. They lead
to high morbidity and mortality, as well as
economic burden.
Treatment options are unavailable or
limited; available antibiotics may be less
effective, more expensive and sometimes
harmful to patients.
Uses & Rationale
Resistance means higher mortality risk,
longer hospital stays, delayed
recuperation, and sometimes long-term
disability for patients.
Drug resistant organisms are behind many
outbreaks of 
healthcare associated infection
Uses & Rationale
It’s very important to diagnose the infection
at the earliest for better antibiotic
management which not only recovers the
patient fast but also controls antimicrobial
resistance emergence.
Whether trying to select appropriate therapy
for a septic patient, or determining exactly
which respiratory pathogen is making a
young child sick, Biofire can return answers
fast.
Uses & Rationale
Cost of the test: 16,800/- Rs.
Nowadays when thousands of money are
spent for critical patients admitted in ICU
or ICCU, this test not only contributes to
accurate and rapid diagnosis as well as
antimicrobial resistance management but
also reduce the length of patient hospital
stay and decrease overall cost of
treatment.
Highlights
Accurate and correct PCR based
diagnosis of more than 80 targets in an
hour.
Follows TAT in a stringent manner. (No
chance of error)
Though costly but cost effective in a true
sense.
Meningitis and Respiratory panels only.
THANK YOU