bioMérieux has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for the BacT/Alert Virtuo, a fully automated blood culture microbial detection system. According to bioMérieux, BacT/Alert Virtuo is the first continuous-monitoring system to feature “load and go” technology that enables personnel of all skill levels to load bottles on the instrument at any time, while automating bottle unloading. The system also offers an integrated configuration with scalable incubation capacity from 428 to 1,712 cells. The BacT/Alert Virtuo is designed to help laboratories manage high volumes of blood cultures, and includes blood level detection technology that measures the volume in each blood culture bottle at the time of loading. This feature is intended to help laboratories track and ensure collection of the recommended blood volume, which is a critical factor in detecting bloodstream infections. Additionally, the BacT/Alert Virtuo system uses Fan Plus media, which is formulated to optimize antibiotic neutralization with optimal growth performance of microorganisms.