METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED BACTERIOPHAGE-BASED DIAGNOSTIC ASSAY

摘要

A labeled first bacteriophage (112) capable of selectively attaching to a target microorganism (110) is combined with a sample and the sample is incubated sufficiently to allow the bacteriophage to attach to the target microorganism. The labeled first bacteriophage/target microorganism complex (136, 436) is bound to a substrate (125) using a second bacteriophage (104) selective to the target microorganism, and the substrate is assayed to detect the presence or absence of the label to determine the presence or absence of the target microorganism. An antibiotic may be added to at least a portion of the sample to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of the target microorganism.