Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BD Kiestra™ IdentifA system, which is designed to automate the preparation of microbiology bacterial identification testing. Identifying the microorganism that is causing an infection is a labor-intensive process. With the BD Kiestra™ IdentifA, the lab technician uses BD Synapsys™ informatics to select discrete bacterial colonies from a digital plate image.

Sophisticated robotics then physically pick those selected organisms and prepare the sample for specific identification testing. By automating what are typically cumbersome manual steps, the BD Kiestra™ IdentifA may reduce the potential for human error when preparing samples for bacterial identification and produce more accurate diagnoses for patients. Streamlining processes also enables lab technicians to focus their time and expertise on higher-value tasks.

BD Kiestra™ IdentifA is the only FDA-cleared solution that is available as part of a track-connected system for lab automation to support specimen preparation workflows for routine and challenging isolate types. The integration of the BD Synapsys™ Informatics solution with the BD Kiestra™ IdentifA, in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry, can yield more rapid and accurate identification of bacteria and yeasts to aid clinician treatment decisions.