Microscreen Staph latex confirmation assay

Product Code: M43

A rapid test for the confirmatory identification of presumptive Staphylococcus aureus colonies from primary plate culture.

Two of the traditional diagnostic tests for S. aureus, the tube and slide coagulase tests, only detect the activity of a characteristic coagulase enzyme. However, these tests can be difficult to interpret and are liable to suffer from false positive results associated with non-specific factors frequently found in plasma. Non-specific coagulation due to other bacterial enzymes may also occur. However, 99% of S. aureus isolates also produce detectable levels of protein A on their surface, a characteristic which can be used to differentiate S. aureus from other species of Staphylococci in which this protein is rare.

Microgen^® Staph is a test for the identification of S. aureus which overcomes the problems associated with the traditional tests by detecting both coagulase and protein A offering rapid and accurate identification of S. aureus in 2 minutes. Microgen^® Staph contains all ancillary reagents needed to complete the test and is suitable for clinical, food and environmental laboratories.

Staphylococcus spp. occur as commensal organisms on the mucous membranes and skin of humans. However, Staphylococcus aureus can be responsible for a wide range of pyogenic infections including superficial suppurant lesions, food poisoning and toxic shock, as well as a variety of other conditions. It is therefore one of the most important pathogens regularly encountered in the laboratory.

Due to the frequency and importance of Staphylococcal infection a rapid and accurate diagnosis is needed for correct patient management, especially as the bacterium can show resistance to numerous common antibiotics. Food manufacturers find Staphylococcal detection to be a good indicator of the general level of microbial contamination. In these circumstances a highly specific test is needed to identify S. aureus, often from heavily contaminated samples. Traditional identification methods, and a number of commercially available products, may suffer from false positive results due to non-specific reactions, and false negative results due to an inability to detect certain strains of S. aureus.

Microgen^® Staph is a sensitive and specific test for the identification of S. aureus from primary plate culture.

50 tests per pack

Related Sector(s)

• Clinical
• Dairy
• Food

Related Organism(s)

• Staphylococci