Actim® Calprotectin
A rapid test for the diagnosis and monitoring of intestinal inflammation.
Overview
A rapid test for the diagnosis and monitoring of intestinal inflammation
Actim® Calprotectin is an easy-to-use rapid test for the diagnosis and monitoring of intestinal inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The test detects fecal calprotectin, which is a stable and sensitive indicator of IBD.
The prevalence of IBD is rapidly increasing across the world. Actim Calprotectin can quickly distinguish IBD from non-inflammatory conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while avoiding uncomfortable and invasive examinations. Actim Calprotectin is also useful for monitoring the evolution of the disease over time and evaluating patients’ treatment responses.
The Actim Calprotectin test is user-friendly for both patients and healthcare professionals, offering a hygienic and convenient way to detect the level of calprotectin in feces. The test can be performed on the spot, and it gives semiquantitative and visually interpretable results in just 10 minutes.
Actim Calprotectin in a nutshell
Hygienic and convenient sample collection for the patient.
Semiquantitative results with 3 ranges of concentration of calprotectin detected in feces.
Test result available in just 10 minutes.
Innovation behind Actim® Calprotectin
How Actim Calprotectin works
Actim Calprotectin is a rapid immunological dipstick test based on highly specific monoclonal antibodies that detect fecal calprotectin. All the items required for at-home sampling are included in the test kit. The test result can be read by a healthcare professional from the test strip in just 10 minutes, with the number of blue lines indicating the concentration level of calprotectin found in feces.
Actim Calprotectin gives a semiquantitative test result by reporting calprotectin concentration in feces in three ranges: <50, 50–200, and >200 μg/g. This helps to distinguish between patients without mucosal damage, those with an irritable bowel, and those with an active inflammation.
The innovative leak-proof sample tube allows a hygienic sample collection at home. The sampling device automatically adjusts the amount of sample needed for the test, and the test can be carried out without opening the tube cap. This guarantees convenient and user-friendly testing. Once the sample has been collected, the sample tube can be stored at room temperature for up to one week.
FIGURE 1. Actim Calprotectin test results have been shown to be comparable to a quantitative ELISA-based calprotectin assay.
About calprotectin
- Fecal calprotectin is a sensitive marker of intestinal inflammation.
- It is an immunomodulatory and antimicrobial protein primarily secreted by neutrophils. Mucosal damage causes neutrophil degranulation, which leads to elevated levels of calprotectin concentration in the bowel and feces.
- Calprotectin is an extremely stable protein that can be found in feces even after 7 days of secretion from the mucosal membrane.
Distinguishing IBD from IBS
Fecal calprotectin is an important biomarker for IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Calprotectin levels are low in feces of healthy individuals, while IBD patients have elevated fecal calprotectin concentrations due to leakage from damaged mucosa.
The Actim Calprotectin test is a useful tool to distinguish IBD from IBS, which does not involve pathological damage to the bowel. The test also helps to monitor the response to the treatment over time, following the initiation of a new medication or after a dose adjustment.
Optimized treatment is essential for the appropriate management of IBD, and can remarkably improve patients’ wellbeing and quality of life.
How to use the test
How to use Actim Calprotectin
All the items required to perform the test are included in the test kit, and Actim Calprotectin can conveniently be stored at room temperature (+2… +30 °C).
Learn how to use the test in the video below:
Sample collection
Open the Specimen Dilution Buffer tube and collect a feces sample with the sampling stick attached to the screw cap.
Twist the stick randomly in different places of the feces sample so that both slits become filled with feces.
Place the sampling stick back into the tube by pushing the stick trough the cone and close the cap tightly.
Shake the tube to suspend the specimen in the buffer.
Perforation
Use the sharp tip of the perforating device (dipstick) to puncture the perforation area in the bottom of the buffer tube, then push the device into the tube until the stopper prevents it from going any further.
Activation of the test
Slowly invert the tube once and immediately place the tube on the table in an upright position.
It is important to ensure that the inverting movement is not abrupt. Gentle inversion of the tube is essential to ensure accurate results. Make sure that the tube does not remain upside down.
Interpretation of the test result
A test result can be read 10 minutes from the test activation. In addition to the blue control line, you will see one of the following:
- One blue line = fecal calprotectin concentration < 50 µg/g
- Two blue lines = fecal calprotectin concentration 50–200 µg/g
- Three blue lines = fecal calprotectin concentration > 200 µg/g
Product information
Actim Calprotectin
The Actim Calprotectin test kit contains the following items:
- 20 dipsticks in perforating device
- 20 Specimen Dilution Buffer tubes
- 1 Instructions for Use document
Actim Calprotectin Controls
The Actim Calprotectin Controls are intended to be used with the Actim® Calprotectin test for external quality control.
The controls may also be used to demonstrate negative results as well as weak and strong positive results.
Product codes
- Actim Calprotectin, 20 tests | product code 35032ETAC
- Actim Calprotectin Controls | product code 35000ETAC
Materials
Downloadable materials
- Brochures & leaflets
- Brochure
- Technical specifications leaflet
- Instructions for use
- Actim Calprotectin Instructions for use
- Actim Calprotectin Controls instructions for use
- Scientific materials
- Actim Calprotectin abstract 2021 | ECCO: Clinical diagnostics of fecal calprotectin: a comparative study of a semi-quantitative rapid test and a quantitative lab test
- Actim Calprotectin poster 2018 | NFKK: Detection of calprotectin in clinical fecal samples
- Material safety data sheet
- If you wish to receive a Material safety data sheet, please contact regulatory@actimtest.com
Feature article
Combine Actim Calprotectin® with Actim®CRP
To support identification of intestinal inflammation in two different ways, combine Actim Calprotectin with Actim CRP to measure serum CRP — a systemic marker of inflammation.
Actim® Calprotectin is not registered in the USA.
MDSAP 13485 and ISO 13485 can be found here.