Abstract: An isolated extracellular matrix-binding protein, designated as SdrE and its corresponding amino acid and nucleic acid sequences and motifs are described. The proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection and as scientific research tools. Further, antibodies or antibody fragments to the proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are also useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection. In particular, the proteins or antibodies thereof may be administered to wounds or used to coat biomaterials to act as blocking agents to prevent or inhibit the binding of S. aureus to wounds or biomaterials.

Abstract: Isolated extracellular matrix-binding proteins, designated ClfB, SdrC, SdrD and SdrE, and their corresponding amino acid and nucleic acid sequences and motifs are described. The proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection and as scientific research tools. Further, antibodies or antibody fragments to the proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are also useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection. In particular, the proteins or antibodies thereof may be administered to wounds or used to coat biomaterials to act as blocking agents to prevent or inhibit the binding of S. aureus to wounds or biomaterials. ClfB is a cell-wall associated protein having a predicted molecular weight of approximately 88 kDa and an apparent molecular weight of approximately 124 kDa, which binds both soluble and immobilized fibrinogen.

Abstract: A strain of Bifidobacterium isolated from resected and washed human gastrointestinal tract is significantly immunomodulatory following oral consumption in humans. The strain is useful in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of undesirable inflammatroy activity, especially gastrointestinal inflammatory activity such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The inflammatory activity may also be due to cancer.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to a method for characterising nucleic acid molecules, which comprises the steps of: i) introducing a modified base which is a substrate for a DNA glycosylase into a DNA molecule; ii) excising the modified base with the DNA glycosylase to generate an abasic site; iii) cleaving the DNA at the abasic site to generate and release an extendible upstream DNA fragment having a 3? hydroxyl terminus; and iv) incubating the released extendible upstream DNA fragment in the presence of an enzyme allowing for extension thereof and an additional template nucleic acid and analysing resultant fragment(s).

Abstract: Isolated extracellular matrix-binding proteins, designated ClfB, SdrC, SdrD and SdrE, and their corresponding amino acid and nucleic acid sequences and motifs are described. The proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection and as scientific research tools. Further, antibodies or antibody fragments to the proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are also useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection. In particular, the proteins or antibodies thereof may be administered to wounds or used to coat biomaterials to act as blocking agents to prevent or inhibit the binding of S. aureus to wounds or biomaterials. ClfB is a cell-wall associated protein having a predicted molecular weight of approximately 88 kDa and an apparent molecular weight of approximately 124 kDa, which binds both soluble and immobilized fibrinogen.

Abstract: A strain of Bifidobacterium isolated from resected and washed human gastrointestinal tract is significantly immunomodulatory following oral consumption in humans. The strain is useful in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of undesirable inflammatroy activity, especially gastrointestinal inflammatory activity such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The inflammatory activity may also be due to cancer.

Abstract: A strain of Bifidobacterium isolated from resected and washed human gastrointestinal tract is significantly immunomodulatory following oral consumption in humans. The strain is useful in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of undesirable inflammatroy activity, especially gastrointestinal inflammatory activity such as inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The inflammatory activity may also be due to cancer.

Abstract: An in vitro test for testing the immunomodulatory especially anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory effect of a test material comprises placing a microporous support having a monolayer of epithelial cells therein in contact with a nutrient medium in a culture well. Cells of the immune system such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells are introduced into the medium and a test material is also introduced into the nutrient medium. A change in an immunological marker, especially a cytokine, particularly TNF&agr; or IL-8 in response to the test material is determined. The test material may be a strain of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium or other material which may be a probiotic.

Abstract: A novel process is presented for the detection of known mutations and polymorphisms in DNA. This process, termed glycosylase mediated polymorphism detection (GMPD) involves amplification of the target DNA using three normal dNTPs and a fourth modified dNTP, whose base is a substrate for a specific DNA-glycosylase once incorporated into the DNA.

Abstract: A method for generating DNA probes specific for an organism and capable of distinguishing in a non-empirical manner between species. The method comprises amplifying, using a pair of oligonucleotide primers, a variable region of the genome of a number of phylogenetically related organisms to, or of a number of organisms suspected of being present in a given sample containing, said organism to be identified and having said variable region in its genome, at least one of said primers corresponding to a DNA sequence known or suspected of being conserved in said organisms, determining the sequence of the amplified region, selecting said sequence or a portion thereof to generate said probe specific for said organism to be identified by comparison with said other amplified regions and defining the hybridization conditions required to obtain a specific signal based on the precise nucleotide sequence of the selected probe.