Captivate™ O104

Product Code: CAP007

Immunomagnetic Separation beads for the concentration and isolation of Escherichia coli O104 (including E. coli O104:H4) from food, animal feed, beverages, pharmaceutical or environmental samples.

Captivate™ O104 are magnetisable particles, coated with specific antibody, intended for the concentration and isolation of Escherichia coli O104 (including E.coli O104:H4) from food, animal feed, beverages, pharmaceutical or environmental samples.

Since E. coli O157:H7 was first identified, shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC, also referred to as VTEC - verocytotoxin-producing E. coli) of various serotypes have become an increasing concern for public health. Numerous outbreaks have been attributed to STEC serotypes and symptoms may includes bloody or acute diarrhoea, and/or the development in some patients of Haemolytic Ureamic Syndrome (HUS) and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP).

Non-O157 VTEC are associated with the following: fresh meat; ready-to-eat fermented meats (e.g. salami, pepperoni); fresh produce (ready-to eat pre-cut vegetables and sprouted seeds); raw and low heat-treated milk and derived dairy products; and in the hides and fleeces of cattle, sheep and goats.

The most common serogroup of STEC in Europe and the USA is E. coli O157, however the incidence of other serotypes is increasing. Between May and July 2011, an outbreak of STEC was observed in Europe – primarily in Germany, and secondarily in France. A total of 3911 cases were reported, including 46 deaths. The causative serogroup was identified to be Escherichia coli O104:H4 and was associated with the consumption of fresh sprouted seeds produced in Germany. The origin of the outbreak was subsequently traced to a batch of fenugreek seeds (used for sprout production) of Egyptian origin.

Escherichia coli O104:H4 is a very rare serogroup in humans throughout Europe and worldwide. The O104:H4 outbreak strain possessed an unusual combination of virulence factors of STEC/VTEC and of Enteroaggregative E. coli (EaggEC). Escherichia coli O104:H4 is not biochemically unique (unlike for example, E. coli O157 or O26 which cannot ferment sorbitol and rhamnose fermentation respectively) and is therefore difficult to isolate from other STEC using conventional culture methods.

Immunomagnetic separation (IMS) is the only process that can be used for the specific isolation of E. coli O104 in which a viable microbiological culture is obtained. Captivate™ O104 is the first commercially available IMS product for the specific isolation of E. coli O104:H4. Antibodies specific to the O104 serogroup have been attached to the super paramagnetic particles via a covalent coupling process. Captivate™ O104 was developed and tested using faecal samples and pathogenic outbreak strains.

Related Sector(s)

• Food

Related Organism(s)

• E.coli O104