Diatherix Eurofins, a viral and bacterial testing company on the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology campus in Huntsville, announced it has developed a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the COVID-19 respiratory infection.

Diatherix will begin accepting specimens for testing as of March 17.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages clinicians to test for multiple causes of respiratory illness. Diatherix has developed the new COVID-19 Panel, which includes the SARS-CoV-2 virus along with five bacterial pathogens that are known to be more prevalent and relevant to the severity of complications in both upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

To simplify collection for healthcare practitioners, Diatherix is ready to receive respiratory specimens such as nasopharyngeal collection methods and sputum swabs. Test results will be provided back to clinicians the same day Diatherix receives the specimen, which the company said is its standard turnaround time.

With Diatherix’s COVID-19 Panel, clinicians will gain the ability to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 along with additional diagnostic information of synergistic bacteria that affect recovery for high-risk patients.

Diatherix said it is leveraging its respiratory and infectious disease expertise to help clinicians respond to the impact of the 2019 novel coronavirus. Diatherix’s testing solution will be available through other Eurofins U.S. clinical laboratories as well, including Boston Heart Diagnostics and EGL Genetics.

At this time, Diatherix Eurofins cannot accept specimens from the state of New York.

For more information, please visit eurofins-diatherix-covid-19.com.