TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first blood test to detect five yeast pathogens that can cause blood infections in people with weakened immune systems has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The five yeast pathogens are Candida albicans and/or Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata and/or Candida krusei.
The five yeast pathogens detected by the T2Candida test can cause severe or even fatal bloodstream infections if not treated quickly, the FDA said in a news release. People at greatest risk of the infections include those being treated for cancer, those who have been given immune system-suppressing drugs after an organ transplant, and severely ill people in intensive care.
Results from the new test are available in three to five hours, compared to six days or longer from traditional methods, the FDA said. The faster results may allow doctors to begin treatment sooner. But since false positives are possible from the new test, results should be confirmed by blood culture, the agency advised.
The new test was evaluated in clinical studies of about 1,800 people. Negative results were correctly identified nearly 100 percent of the time, and the yeast organism involved was correctly identified in 84 to 96 percent of positive specimens, the FDA said.
The T2Candida test is produced by T2 Biosystems, based in Lexington, Mass.
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