news
News

LITMUS Rapid Identification of Bacterial Pathogens (RAPID-B)

Monday 24 September 2007

The LITMUS RAPID-B technology is able identify bacterial pathogens quickly, accurately, and cost effectively.

LITMUS RAPID-B employs proprietary new methods which significantly shorten the time necessary in detecting and identifying bacterial pathogens (e.g. E.coli, salmonella, Listeria, anthrax, cholera, etc.). These new methods were developed by LITMUS and scientists working at the United States Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR).

Traditional microbiological methods take from 24-72 hours to identify if a viable bacterial pathogen species exists in a given sample and an additional 24-48 hours to accurately identify the specific strain. RAPID-B detects the presence of viable bacterial cells along with a count in less than 15 minutes with an unsurpassed sensitivity of one cell in 250 micro liters of solution.

LITMUS is also developing technology to rapidly detect viruses and certain diseases such as avian flu, BSE (Mad Cow), Alzheimer, Encephalitis, and certain types of cancer.

LITMUS partners with biomedical companies, food manufacturers, and government agencies interested in using its RAPID-B technology to rapidly detect bacterial pathogens. A partial list of applications includes:
  • Fresh and Pre-cooked meats (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, seafood, etc.)
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Processed Foods
  • Baby Formula
  • Medical Diagnostic Applications

link to website