Puritan Medical Products Offers Flocked Applicators Ideal for Swine Flu Investigations/Testing
Guilford, Me., April 30, 2009 - Puritan Medical Products LLC, the leading manufacturer of specialty-tipped applicators in North America, is ready to respond with its diagnostic single-use products, to the healthcare industry needs regarding the current outbreak of a novel strain of H1N1 Swine Influenza A. On Monday, April 27th, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert to a Phase 4 threat.
Phase 4 is declared when there is a sustained "human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus" considered capable of causing community-level outbreaks. It indicates a significant increase in the risk of a pandemic, and while it is hoped this will not be the final outcome, it is a time for maximum surveillance to monitor any spread into new areas.
In response, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that all suspected cases of the virus have upper respiratory specimens collected to test for swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. Specimens of choice include nasopharyngeal swabs, nasal aspirates, nasal swabs, or oropharyngeal swabs, and are to be placed into sterile viral transport media (VTM) and immediately placed on ice or cold packs, or refrigerated at 4OC for transport to a laboratory.
CDC says swab specimens should be collected using swabs with a synthetic tip such as polyester, and an aluminium or plastic shaft. Swabs with cotton tips and wooden shafts are not recommended. The swab specimen collection vials should contain viral transport medium (e.g., containing, protein stabilizer, antibiotics to discourage bacterial and fungal growth, and buffer solution), such as M4RT. Some laboratories are requesting the use of nasal aspirates and/or flocked swabs.
Puritan manufactures a complete range of such swabs - including standard and nasopharyngeal flocked swabs, polyurethane foam and polyester tipped aluminium or plastic shafts. Puritan's nylon flocked swabs - including its 25-3317 1PN and its 25-3316 1PN - are used for nasopharyngeal or urethral specimen collection, and/or for recovery of bacterial or viral micro-organisms. In addition, Puritan's 25-1406 1PF (foam-tip), its 25-3306 1PN (flock-tip) and its 25-1506-1PF (foam tip) are excellent swabs used for specimen collection. Puritan's polyester-tipped 25-801 D 50, and 25-1000 1PD are both used for diagnostic specimen collections, in addition to all of Puritan's polyester-tipped applicators.
All of the above-mentioned swab applicators are widely used in diagnostic applications and are ideal for use in the swine influenza investigations. Many of these swabs are available in a dry transport tube, and all are manufactured in the United States and are available now. Please call a Puritan representative for more information on how Puritan can help address your specific H1N1 Swine Influenza needs.
About Puritan Medical Products Company
North America's largest manufacturer of specialty-tip applicators, Puritan Medical Products Co. LLC produces a wide array of polyester, foam, microfiber, rayon, cotton & knitted polyester applicators for critical environments and general industrial use, among many other industries. Puritan was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Guilford, Maine.
For more information on Puritan's ESD and other critical environment products, contact Timothy Templet at 800-321-2313 or 207-876-3311 or visit www.puritanmedproducts.com.
