Abstract: The invention provides an incubation vessel supporting apparatus, including a moveable support and a plurality of incubation vessel mountings carried by the support and moveable independently relative to the support such that, in use, each of the plurality of vessel mountings is simultaneously independently moveable so that each vessel mounted by the mountings is capable of movement to achieve substantially the same temperature/time integral. Such vessel supports can be used in, for example, an automated assay apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed is a Penicillium marneffei PMAP1 polypeptide and DNA(RNA) encoding such PMAP1 polypeptide. Also provided is a procedure for producing such polypeptide by recombinant DNA techniques and a procedure for generating antibodies against the said polypeptide. Also disclosed is a method of using such polypeptide and the antibodies against it for the diagnosis of systemic infections of Penicillium marneffei by detecting the presence of the specific antibodies as well as the PMAP1 protein antigen in clinical specimens taken from suspected patients. Also provided are methods of using the PMAP1 DNA(RNA) or protein sequence to identify and to clone its homologous genes from other pathogenic fungi. Therefore, the identification of PMAP1 homologous genes from other pathogenic fungi are made possible with this invention. Also described is a therapeutic regimen using the antibodies against Penicillium infection. Also provided is a method of immunization against the infection of Penicillium.