ST. PAUL, Minn., March 12 (UPI) -- Minnesota-based 3M Health Care unveiled plans Monday for a new unit focusing on rapid diagnostic tests for treatment-resistant microbes.
The company, which already produces infection prevention products, will offer the tests primarily to hospitals for the detection of infectious pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus areus.
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Such hospital-acquired infections cause as many as 90,000 deaths per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The tests will be a faster alternative to traditional cultures, which take up to two days to diagnose infection, the company said, and faster diagnosis will help doctors more effectively treat patients.
