Abstract: This invention relates to reagent comprising: any one of cells, viral particles, organelles, parasites, cells comprising organelles, cells comprising viral particles, cells comprising parasites, cells comprising bacterial cells and any combination thereof, the cells, viral particles, organelles or parasites comprising at least one nucleic acid sequence serving as an internal control (IC) target for nucleic acid testing (NAT) assay; wherein the reagent is suitable to be added to a test sample undergoing sample preparation to release, concentrate and/or purify nucleic acids and amplification and/or detection of nucleic acids so as to be used to verify: (i) the efficiency of sample preparation; and (ii) the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification and/or detection. The present invention also relates to a method to verify or validate the preparation and amplification and/or detection of a nucleic acid target sequence in a sample spiked with a reagent of the present invention.

Abstract: This invention relates to reagent comprising: any one of cells, viral particles, organelles, parasites, cells comprising organelles, cells comprising viral particles, cells comprising parasites, cells comprising bacterial cells and any combination thereof, the cells, viral particles, organelles or parasites comprising at least one nucleic acid sequence serving as an internal control (IC) target for nucleic acid testing (NAT) assay; wherein the reagent is suitable to be added to a test sample undergoing sample preparation to release, concentrate and/or purify nucleic acids and amplification and/or detection of nucleic acids so as to be used to verify: (i) the efficiency of sample preparation; and (ii) the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification and/or detection. The present invention also relates to a method to verify or validate the preparation and amplification and/or detection of a nucleic acid target sequence in a sample spiked with a reagent of the present invention.

Abstract: This invention relates to reagent comprising: any one of cells, viral particles, organelles, parasites, cells comprising organelles, cells comprising viral particles, cells comprising parasites, cells comprising bacterial cells and any combination thereof, the cells, viral particles, organelles or parasites comprising at least one nucleic acid sequence serving as an internal control (IC) target for nucleic acid testing (NAT) assay; wherein the reagent is suitable to be added to a test sample undergoing sample preparation to release, concentrate and/or purify nucleic acids and amplification and/or detection of nucleic acids so as to be used to verify: (i) the efficiency of sample preparation; and (ii) the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification and/or detection. The present invention also relates to a method to verify or validate the preparation and amplification and/or detection of a nucleic acid target sequence in a sample spiked with a reagent of the present invention.

Abstract: Purified polypeptides containing characteristic sequences common to the pyrrolidone carboxylyl peptidases (PYRases) of bacteria, for example of Streptococcus pyogenes, or containing fragments of these sequences; antibodies recognizing these polypeptides; polynucleotides coding for such polypeptides or fragments.Application, in particular, to the overproduction of PYRases by inserting a polynucleotide coding for a PYRase into a vector, and then culturing a host cell transformed using such a vector, or to the production of nucleic acid probes specific for a bacterium having a PYRase gene, expressed or otherwise. These nucleic acid probes may be used as capture or detection probes according to conventional hybridization techniques.

Abstract: Rapid identification of different species of Streptococcus is accomplished by: culturing the bacteria for several hours under unusual conditions which induces the bacteria to create characteristic enzymes by which the bacteria can be identified, and in a medium containing no more than about 1 g of glucose per liter of culture medium to produce a dense culture; distributing the culture onto several supports containing different substrates which are capable of reacting with enzymes so produced by different species of Streptococcus under the unusual conditions; and incubating the culture to produce a distinctly colored or colorable reaction product.