Evaluation of a New PCR-Based Platform for the Detection and Identification of Viruses or Bacteria from Swab Transport Devices

As molecular diagnostics continue to expand across clinical microbiology, laboratories require specimen collection devices that are compatible with both culture-based and PCR workflows. Evaluation of SIGMA-FECAL TRANSWAB®, SIGMA-VIROCULT®, and SIGMA-TRANSWAB® on the BD Max® molecular platform confirmed accurate detection of a range of bacterial and viral targets, including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, and Herpes Simplex Virus. All positive and negative specimens were correctly identified, with equivalent performance observed across both PurFlock® and foam swab formats. For HSV testing, SIGMA-VIROCULT® generated lower Ct values than the comparator method, indicating strong analytical performance. These findings support the use of MWE transport devices in molecular testing environments, providing laboratories with a flexible specimen collection solution that can support both conventional microbiology and rapid PCR-based diagnostics.