Abstract: A medium for detecting staphylococci is described. The medium contains components selective for growing staphylococci, and a glucopyranoside indicator substance in sufficient quantity to distinguish colonies containing Bacillus and other microorganisms from colonies containing staphylococci. Methods of detecting staphylococci utilizing such medium are also described.

Abstract: An apparatus for counting microorganism colonies on at least on disposable microorganism culturing medium having a substantially planar substrate. The apparatus has an imaging system for detecting colonies on the substantially planar substrate, and a holder positioning device for storing and queuing one or more holders, each adapted to support one of the substrates. The positioning device moves the holders sequentially into a predetermined position relative to the imaging system so that images can be obtained. The imaging system cooperates with a counting device for counting the colonies using information from several images provided by the imaging system taken at different times as the positioning device cycles the holders past the predetermined location to be imaged. Suitable holders, and a method of queuing and counting colonies on substrates, are also disclosed.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to products and processes used to determine the presence of bacteria in a sample and particularly relates to a culture medium which may be used in products and processes to allow early detection and count of Enterobacteriaceae. The bacterial culture medium which facilitates the early detection and count of bacteria is a mixture of gelatin peptone and yeast extract, lactose or glucose, sodium chloride, bile salts, guar gum and an excess amount of a sulfonphthalein dye sufficient to provide a high concentration of dye in close proximity to the growing bacteria in order to allow detection and count of the growing bacteria.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to products and processes used to determine the presence of Enterobacteriaceae in a sample and particularly relates to a bacterial culture medium which may be used in products and processes to allow early detection and enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae in a sample. The bacterial culture medium which facilitates the early detection and enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae contains a selected amount of glucose, pH indicator and buffer which prevent diffusion of colored indicator zones associated with growing bacteria in the medium.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to products and processes used to determine the presence of microbes in a sample and particularly relates to a conditioned culture medium which may be used in products and processes to allow early detection and enumeration of such microbes. The conditioned culture medium preferably is a filtered broth made by inoculating viable microbes with gelatin, casein or animal peptones as well as lactose, sodium chloride, bile salts, guar gum and an indicator.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to products and processes used to determine the presence of bacteria in a sample and particularly relates to a culture medium which may be used in products and processes to allow early detection and count of coliform bacteria. The bacterial culture medium which facilitates the early detection and count of coliform bacteria is a mixture of tryptose, lactose, sodium chloride, bile salts, guar gum and an excess amount of phenol red sufficient to provide a high concentration of phenol red in close proximity to the growing bacteria in order to allow detection and count of the growing bacteria in less than 12 hours.

Abstract: A method for reducing the occurrence of falsely elevated results in a peroxidase-catalyzed, enzyme assay is described. Interference in an assay caused by blood or bood products in a clinical specimen is eliminated or reduced by reacting the specimen with an oxidizing agent such as sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide or sodium meta-periodate.

Abstract: An immunoassay procedure for the detection of chlamydia trachomatis antigen in a urogenital clinical specimen including a method for substantially eliminating the occurrence of false negative and false positive results of the immunoassay procedure. The method comprises treating a patent specimen with an aqueous solution having a final concentration of 0.1M NaOH or 0.1M KOH and then neutralizing the specimen-containing solution before conducting the immunoassay.