Arriving in Orlando this year for APIC brought with it the excitement that the conference was, like most things, getting back to “normal”. The plane flights were packed and delayed as always, with the airport and hotel buzzing with activity. This return was apparent once we arrived at the exhibit hall, where attendees filled the lobby with excited chatter and anticipation. The exhibit hall bustled as vendors finished or, like us, started to set up their booths. All in all, a welcomed feeling.
As the first day began, that feeling only grew as attendees hurried through entry and made their way into the show. Smiles and laughter greeted you at every turn. But the real draw was a renewed curiosity in getting down to the business of infection prevention.
Regarding our specialty, Legionella testing, nearly everyone we spoke to have a Water Management Program (WMP) in place, but all were interested in how these could be improved to help continue to reduce the risks of outbreaks. Whether it was to better understand the Legionella viable-only PCR (vPCR) as a rapid response tool or expanding into other waterborne pathogens.
Among these other pathogens, there was one that stole the spotlight. Our vPCR for Non-tuberculosis Mycobacterium (NTM) that was introduced last year, caused many to stop and ask questions. Getting results for Total NTM, M. avium and M. intracellulare the next day instead of eight weeks really caught the people’s attention. Understanding that we are currently working to add M. chimaera drove that interest even higher. Learn more about that technology here!
For this year we introduced EST’s surface sampling for Candida auris and ESKAPE Pathogens. This traditional culture method can help practitioners respond to cases or outbreaks in their facilities, narrowing down the vectors and sources when developing protocols to control the risk posed by these dangerous organisms. Learn more about how EST can help you here!
We were also joined by Weber Scientific in our booth to provide insight into their ATP technologies and look forward to next year to their healthcare-focused solutions in San Antonio. Check out their website here for more.
To all we spoke to at APIC, thank you for stopping by and we are excited to see you again at APIC 2024. If you are interested to learn more get in touch with our contact us page.