Bacterial & Viral Specimen Collection Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Swabs, Blood Collection Kits, VTM), By Application (Diagnostics, Research), By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Report Overview

The global bacterial and viral specimen collection market size was valued at USD 13.6 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.0% from 2020 to 2027. With an increase in demand for diagnostic testing for COVID-19, several manufacturers have ramped up the production of viral specimen collection products globally. This, in turn, is driving the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. As reported in April 2020, Puritan Medical Products has increased the production of its nasal swabs to more than 1.0 million for COVID-19 testing per week, thereby driving the growth of the market. Key companies are engaged in introducing innovations to enable the error-free laboratory-quality specimen collection, which is expected to drive the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection.

For instance, Becton, Dickinson collaborated with Babson Diagnostics in February 2020 to introduce small-volume blood collection solutions for retail pharmacies. Under the partnership, they combined BD’s blood collection device with Babson’s automated sample handling and analytical technologies to make blood testing more accessible and convenient. Robust funding from the public and private agencies encourages the molecular diagnostic companies to develop bacterial and viral specimen collection as well as diagnostic products that positively impact market growth. For instance, in July 2020, Hologic Inc. received USD 7.6 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand the production of specimen collection and processing consumables for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Besides, the Global Fund, an international organization, supports Tuberculosis (TB), AIDS, and malaria programs as well as expands successful tools and strategies for these infections. As of January 2020, the Global Fund has provided USD 9.5 billion and 69.0% of all international financing for TB programs. This funding accelerates the TB screening and development of diagnostic tools, which, in turn, is expected to drive the adoption of bacterial and viral specimen collection solutions for TB diagnosis.

Rapid diagnostic tests have gained immense traction as they provide accurate and faster results, improve prescribing, and reduce the length of hospitalization. These tests are widely accepted by clinicians in navigating through a pandemic of highly contagious infections, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Ebola, and others. This accelerates the usage rate of bacterial and viral specimen collection products for rapid diagnostic tests.

Product Insights

The bacterial specimen collection segment dominated the bacterial and viral specimen collection market with a revenue share of 58.0% in 2019. The high prevalence of TB is one of the major factors attributive to a larger share of this segment. However, the rate of TB has declined in recent years, yet latent TB is a huge burden affecting around one-quarter of the total population globally. A wide-scale diagnosis of TB surges the adoption of different bacterial specimen collecting products.

As reported in June 2019, the United States Agency for International Development in partnership with Becton Dickinson supported the elimination of TB from Indonesia through the National Tuberculosis Program of Indonesia. This partnership allowed BD to provide its advanced capabilities in phenotypic testing of TB. Such alliances are expected to propel the requirement of bacterial specimen collection solutions for TB testing, particularly in middle-income nations. 

Viral specimen collection is anticipated to grow at a lucrative pace in the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. This is due to various developments in the detection of virus infections. For instance, in April 2020, the University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, U.S., developed a finger-stick test for the detection of over 50 strains of the flu from just a few blood drops. This test is under clinical development. Also, in May 2020, Rocky Mountain Biologicals launched the Viral Transport Medium for large scale COVID-19 testing.

Application Insights

Diagnostic applications accounted for the largest revenue share of 70.0% in 2019 in the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. This is due to an increase in the number of FDA approved transport media, swabs, and specimen collection kits for clinical applications. For instance, in December 2019, Hardy Diagnostics unveiled FDA-approved Universal Transport Medium for the collection and processing of clinical specimens, such as chlamydia, viruses, mycoplasma, and ureaplasma organisms.

Government bodies emphasize on curbing the spread of bacterial and viral diseases that possess the potential to become a pandemic. As a result, the government executes a concerted effort for preventive measures against TB, influenza, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the whole stool specimen as a preferred clinical specimen and Cary Blair medium for the norovirus diagnosis.

Research application witnessed a lower revenue share due to the higher adoption of these products within diagnostic settings. Proper detection of microbes on clinical swabs and continuous evaluation of transport swabs supports the academic institutions and clinical laboratories to make cost-effective decisions while purchasing bacterial and viral specimen collection products. These research studies further lead to monetary savings and maintain functional efficacy, which boosts revenue generation in this segment.

End-use Insights

The hospitals and clinics segment accounted for the largest revenue share of 57.0% in 2019 in the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. This is attributed to an increase in patients for respiratory viruses and bacterial infections and subsequently provides a rationale for antimicrobial drug therapies. Furthermore, a surge in the cases of healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals raises the utilization rate of bacterial and viral specimen collection products in hospitals and clinics.

As per the CDC reports, about 1 in 31 U.S. patients are affected with at least 1 healthcare-associated infection every day and nearly 35,000 Americans die due to antibiotic-resistant infections every year. Besides, in December 2019, the FDA approved cobas vivoDx MRSA diagnostic test that detects methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterial colonization from the nasal swab sample in 5 hours. Continuous development and approval of such products drive revenue generation in this segment.

The home test segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR in the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. This is attributed to the rising availability of home-based diagnostic tests. Recently, in June 2020, FDA provided information on the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, an FDA approved home-based HIV test. The FDA informed that it is a rapid self-administered test that detects HIV in an oral fluid sample within 20-40 minutes. Besides, in May 2020, FDA approved EverlyWell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit for emergency coronavirus testing.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection with a revenue share of 43.8% in 2019. High awareness levels regarding the disease transmission, diagnosis, and effective management of microbial infections have been observed in this region. This leads to the high adoption of these products, resulting in a larger revenue share of this region. The efforts undertaken by government agencies in the support of product development further influence revenue growth.

As of November 2019, the U.S. HHS supported the development of the host-response testing technology under a USD 6.0 million contract with Inflammatix Inc. The company is engaged in the development of three diagnostic tests that provide rapid results on whether the infection is bacterial or viral. This assists the clinicians to make better-informed, earlier decisions for treatment. Such initiatives are also the cornerstone of the companies' strategy to expand the earlier diagnosis.

Asia Pacific is expected to register a lucrative CAGR in the market for bacterial and viral specimen collection. This is due to large-scale coronavirus testing in Asian countries, particularly in India, the third-highest impacted country worldwide. As of 27th July 2020 reports from Worldometer, India completed over 16.0 million COVID-19 tests. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the major lower respiratory tract infections in younger children in Japan, which motivates the country to take preventive measures promptly during epidemic RSV season.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

These companies are involved in collaboration and partnership with several domestic and international players to expand the development of bacterial and viral specimen collection products. For instance, in June 2020, Germany-based Henkel AG & Co. KGaA collaborated with California-based Origin to leverage the latter’s expertise in performing robust mechanical testing at its California facility. Henkel also provided knowledge and technology to design 3D printed nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing. Besides, the diagnostic companies are also adopting profitable strategic initiatives to attain a competitive edge in the infectious disease testing field, which consequently raises the demand for specimen collecting solutions. For instance, in February 2020, Thermo Fisher collaborated with NanoPin Technologies, Inc. for the development of highly sensitive liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry workflows to advance the blood-based diagnosis of infectious diseases. Some of the prominent players in the bacterial and viral specimen collection market include:

• Puritan Medical Products

• COPAN Diagnostics

• Becton, Dickinson and Company

• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

• Quidel Corporation

• Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics, LLC

• Pretium Packaging

• Trinity Biotech

• Medical Wire & Equipment

• HiMedia Laboratories

• Hardy Diagnostics

• Nest Scientific

• VIRCELL S.L.

• DiaSorin

• Titan Biotech

Bacterial & Viral Specimen Collection Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global bacterial and viral specimen collection market report on the basis of product, application, end-use, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Bacterial Specimen Collection

    • Swabs

    • Bacterial Transport Media

    • Blood Collection Kits

    • Other Consumables

  • Viral Specimen Collection

    • Swabs

    • Viral Transport Media

    • Blood Collection Kits

    • Other Consumables

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Diagnostics

  • Research

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Hospitals & Clinics

  • Home Test

  • Research Laboratories

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • The U.K.

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

    • India

    • South Korea

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East & Africa (MEA)

    • South Africa

    • UAE