Method for detecting low concentrations of a target bacterium that uses phages to infect target bacterial cells
US7166425B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 10, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jan 23, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 10, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/56911
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention is directed to a method for detecting low concentrations of bacteria in liquid solution that may or may not be complex liquid solutions. In one embodiment, immunomagnetic separation (IMS) is used to separate target bacterium that may be in a liquid mixture from other constituents in the mixture. A low concentration of a bacteriophage for the target bacteria is subsequently used to infect target bacterial cells that have been captured using the IMS technique. If at least a certain concentration of target bacterium are present, the bacteriophage will multiply to a point that is detectable. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization/time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOF-MS) is then used to produce a mass spectrum that is analyzed to determine if one or more proteins associated with the bacteriophage are present, thereby indirectly indicating that target bacterium were present in the liquid mixture.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.