ZygoDx® range of diagnostic tests for mucormycosis

ISCA has developed a lateral-flow device for mucormycosis, the second most common mould disease of humans after aspergillosis. The test uses a monoclonal antibody KC9 specific to Rhizopus arrhizus, the principal global agent of ‘black fungus’ disease, and responsible for the majority of life-threatening rhino-orbital-cerebral, pulmonary and disseminated infections in humans.

We have also developed a pan-Mucorales-specific lateral-flow device that detects all agents of mucormycosis including Apophysomyces, Cunninghamella, Lichtheimia, Mucor, Rhizomucor, and Rhizopus species. The test incorporates a monoclonal antibody TG11 which can also be used in immunohistochemistry to discriminate mucormycosis from aspergillosis.

Both of our lateral-flow tests are compatible with serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, providing a unique opportunity for the rapid point-of-care detection of this highly aggressive angio-invasive disease of humans.