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| January 16, 2003 |
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| The Launch of Inspection Reagent for Legionella Antigen in Urine |
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Mitsubishi Kagaku Medical, Inc.
A&M Styrene Co., Ltd. |
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Mitsubishi Kagaku Medical, Inc. (Head Office: Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture; President: Yasuhiro Morinaka), a 100%-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryuichi Tomizawa), will launch a clinical test product (trade name: Legionella Antigen "Yuka") that detects the antigen of legionella in urine on January 20, 2003 for the first time in Japan.
Although Mitsubishi Kagaku Medical had applied then Ministry of Health and Welfare (currently Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) for approval to import of this product (manufacturer: Biotest, Germany), it has acquired the approval on November 4, 2002. Since the company has been under application for the product to be covered by health insurance, the insurance is not applied for the product yet. However, because many clinical doctors request for the product which enables early diagnosis of legionella pneumonia, Mitsubishi Kagaku Medical had judged that it would be important to first make the product available to be used at medical institutions that desire to conduct a clinical test and has decided to launch the product before it is covered by the insurance.
Legionella infection is considered as one of the opportunistic infections and infants, the aged or patients in hospital with lowered immunity are likely to catch the infection. Meanwhile, as is seen in a death case of group infections, pneumonia infected by legionella often leads patients to death by a rapid deterioration of disease condition. The impression of a clinical test of legionella pneumonia does not substantially differ from that of other pneumonia and there had been no handy and quick diagnostic product. Also, since s-lactam type drugs which are often used for early treatment of common pneumonia are ineffectual for legionella pneumonia, it is considered to be important to prescribe effective drug for legionella pneumonia in an early stage. Since legionella pneumonia could rapidly lead to the deterioration of disease conditions unless it is treated in an early stage with effective drugs, it is an infection that requires early treatment. Since this clinical test product enables early diagnosis, the product is expected to be effective in reducing the rate of death by legionella infection.
Legionella infection is categorized as Class 4 infections under the new Infections Law and is designated as a disease of which reporting is necessary within seven days. According to the standard for the reporting, when a patient becomes positive by one of the following four methods - culture test, antigen test in urine, gene test and antibody test, it becomes a confirmed diagnosis. This clinical test product uses the method of antigen test in urine in which a patient becomes positive even in an early stage of the legionella pneumonia, it is especially effective test method for early diagnosis in comparison with other test methods. Also, since the test sample is urine, it is easy to collect even among patients from whom it is difficult to collect other test samples and the product features superior detection sensitivity over other methods.
Most of the legionella infections are caused by bacillus of Serocomplex type 1 of 15 kinds of serocomplex. In the cases of group infection in Japan, the study has revealed that most of the cases were infections caused by Serocomplex type 1. Although the new clinical test product detects legionella pneumophila Serocomplex type 1, it is also possible to detect other legionella bacilli. As a result, it is considered that the product provides useful test for early diagnosis of legionella pneumonia caused by legionella bacilli other than Seroxcomplex type 1.
The sale of the products of Mitsubishi Kagaku Medical in Japan is handled by its sole agent, Diatron Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Osamu Naito).
| For further information, please contact |
| Public Relations and Investor Relations Dept., |
| Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
| Tel: [+81]-(0)3-3283-6274 |
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<Reference information>
Concenring Legionella pneumophila and legionella infection
Legionella pneumophila is a causing bacillus of legionella pneumonia and 15 kinds of serocomplex from type 1 to 15 are known. At the national conference of the American Legion held in Philadelphia in the summer of 1976, legionella infection became to be known as the Legion disease of mass infection since 221 hotel guests and passers-by caught serious pneumonia of unknown origin and 29 out of these died. In Japan, since a group of researchers at Ryukyu University had reported the first case of legionella pneumonia in 1981, there have been reports on the disease. In recent years, there have been frequent legionella infections by a said cause of hot spring facility and 24-hour bath and in the group infection case that occurred in a hot spring facility in Miyazaki Prefecture in July last year, seven persons died from the infection. |
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