Abstract: A diagnostic test apparatus comprising: a shaft having a first end and a second end; a swab or a biopsy punch mounted on the first end of a shaft; and a cap for fitting over the first end of the shaft, said cap containing at least one diagnostic test reagent; wherein the shaft comprises at least one cap engagement element located proximate to the first end, said element extending radially outwardly of the swab or the biopsy punch for engagement with the cap to retain the cap on the shaft. Also provided are diagnostic caps for use in the test apparatus having a small internal volume and at least one diagnostic test reagent located in or on an absorbent plug inside the cap. Also provided are diagnostic caps for use in the test apparatus having a housing extending from a sample receiving port, said housing defining a lateral flow path for the sample.

Abstract: A device for detecting a mammalian host-derived enzyme in a sample of a wound fluid, said device comprising: a housing having an inlet for the sample and side walls defining a fluid flow path extending from said inlet an indicator moiety that is bound to a solid substrate by means of a peptide linker moiety that is cleavable by said host-derived enzyme, said solid substrate being located in a reaction zone of said fluid flow path; and a detector moiety located in a detection zone downstream from the reaction zone in said fluid flow path, wherein the detector moiety interacts with an indicator moiety that has been cleaved from said solid substrate to produce a detectable change in said detection zone. Suitably, the device further comprises a control moiety located in a control zone in said device, wherein the control moiety can interact with a component of the wound fluid sample to improve the accuracy of the device.