Oxford BioSystems is based in Oxfordshire, and acts as the UK distribution partner for a range of international manufacturers.
The company maintains an exciting product portfolio, covering various technologies to suit its customers’ needs. In addition to its clinical diagnostic systems, it offers specialised products for environmental and hygiene testing.
Oxford BioSystems said: “Legionella can be found in many different natural and artificial water systems, e.g. in drinking water, in large plants for water heating, in evaporative cooling systems, cooling towers, and wet separators. Under certain conditions Legionella can proliferate, and Legionella-containing aerosols can be formed. The inhalation of these aerosols can result in mild febrile illnesses (Pontiac fever) or a potentially fatal severe pneumonia (Legionnaires’ disease). Testing of water installations for the presence of Legionella spp. is therefore implemented worldwide in national guidelines, usually according to ISO standard methods for cultural and PCR detection.”
The Biotecon Legionella PCR for water testing reportedly provides ‘a faster, easier, and more precise alternative to traditional culture methods’. The test can be run on equipment used routinely in microbiology and virology laboratories, and results are generated within 4 hours directly from the filtered water sample. The Biotecon kit detects Legionella spp., L. pneumophila, and L. pneumophila serogroup 1 in one single test, and quantifies each of them individually. Training and technical support is provided in the UK by trained technical specialists at Oxford Biosystems.
Featured in HEJ’s sister publication, The Clinical Services Journal in 2020, the Hygiena EnSURE Touch system enables verification and monitoring of cleaning processes across multiple locations, making risk management easier. It collects, analyses, and reports data to help users prove the effectiveness of their cleaning and infection prevention programmes.
The EnSURE Touch features a 5-inch touch screen, wireless sync technology, cloud-based software, and the ability to conduct a wide range of tests. Oxford BioSystems said: “It is designed to adapt to your workplace and provides the data you need to optimise infection prevention and lower healthcare-acquired infection rates.”
The EnSURE Touch monitoring system is designed to be used for multiple cleaning verification and infection prevention tests, including surface ATP testing, water ATP testing, and monitoring the cleanliness of endoscopes by the testing of washing water for residual contamination. Tests can be run on location, with results ‘in minutes’, and the SureTrend Cloud is an easy-to-use, cloud-based, data analysis software that comes free with every EnSURE Touch. “Training and support for the infection control team are provided by our technical specialists, on site or remotely, thanks to the secure built-in screen-sharing capabilities of this system,” Oxford BioSystems explained. “Demonstrations are available on request, and our Account Managers will help to set up an evaluation plan designed specifically for your facilities. EnSURE Touch is the scientific way to quantify and monitor your cleaning process, keeping staff and patients safe, when visually clean is not good enough.”
