bioMérieux has launched the WATCHFIRE Solution, a multiplex PCR wastewater monitoring test designed to help public health agencies detect and track more than 40 respiratory and gastrointestinal pathogens from wastewater samples in about one hour.

Available through BioFire Defense in the U.S., the system includes separate respiratory and gastrointestinal testing panels that detect pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), E. coli, Salmonella, norovirus and Giardia lamblia. The tests run on the BIOFIRE FILMARRAY TORCH platform, with results aggregated through the cloud-based FIREWORKS platform.

The company said the solution supports near-source wastewater monitoring for municipalities, healthcare facilities and large public events by providing rapid pathogen surveillance that can help identify disease trends and potential outbreaks before clinical cases rise.

John Harris, CEO of BioFire Defense, said the system is designed to provide public health officials with timely data to improve preparedness for emerging infectious diseases and biothreats. The company also highlighted its use at France's Centre Hospitalier de Melun-Sénart, where wastewater monitoring identified a potential influenza outbreak during a respiratory virus season that included influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.