QIAGEN has launched the QIAstat-Dx Viral Vesicular Panel RUO, the first syndromic test to differentiate between monkeypox and five other pathogens which cause similar symptoms. 

The new panel ­– currently for research use only (RUO) – comes in cartridge form to run on QIAGEN’s QIAstat-Dx automated syndromic testing devices. It tests for the two known forms of monkeypox virus (the so-called West African and Congo Basin clades), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), HSV2, human herpesvirus 6 (HH6), varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and enterovirus – pathogens that all produce similar-looking vesicular lesions.

The panel’s RUO-status means it currently can only be used for the surveillance – not screening or diagnosing – of monkeypox cases. But QIAGEN is ready to make applications for clinical use should authorities in the US and the European Union open new diagnostic pathways in light of this public health emergency.