Detection and Disinfection Flashcards
most assays for detecting bacteria growth rely on
culturing bacteria and obtaining a pure culture of a single species
diluting samples is used to
isolate single colonies
dilution streaking
streaking bacteria from a culture on a plate
flame between each streak
rubbing bacteria off the loop and onto the plate
pour plates
warm media is mixed with agar in tubes
sample is serial diluted in several tube
tube are then poured onto a petri dish
biochemical identification
once a pure culture is obtained, it can be tested for its biochemical properties
many tests are required to positively identify a bacteria
biochemical identification kits
kits can complete many biochemical tests in one sample
the pattern of positives and negatives is interpreted by software
can identify many species this way, but not all
MALDI-TOF MS stands for
Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
what is MALDI-TOF MS
-grow bacteria on a plate
-scrape some bacteria onto a plate and add matrix (an organic acid that absorbs the laser)
-vaporize with an ultraviolet laser
-measure the mass to charge ratio of the resulting debris by the length of time it takes to reach the detector
-every bacterial species yields a specific pattern of debris
-spectrum can be matched to a database
how can antibodies be used as diagnostic tools
inoculating rabbits, mice, etc., with viral or bacterial antigens
the antibodies can be purified from blood, or produced in mass quantities recombinantly
advantages of diagnosis by antibodies
highly specific
rapid
point of care testing can be done cheaply
limitations of antibodies
expensive to generate, slow to develop (months)
antigenic variation can alter epitopes
ELISA
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
quantitative assay
the amount of colour change indicates the amount of antigen present
what is ELISA
-well is coated with an antibody for a specific antigen
-sample is added and incubated for antigens (virus or bacteria protein) to bind to antibody
-a detection antibody is added, which is conjugated to an enzyme that can process a substrate to generate colour change
lateral flow assay
COVID rapid antigen test
-liquid with sample rehydrates the reagents on the strip/pad/cassette
-capillary action wicks the samples and reagents across the Test Line (antibodies specific for antigen e.g., viral nucleoprotein)
-the negative control line has antibodies that recognize the detection antibodies
version of lateral flow assay
UTIs, streptococcus A, RSV, human chorionic gonadotropin (pregnancy)
genetic detection: nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)
sequence-based surveillance and diagnosis
-highly specific
-inexpensive and fast
-flexible requirement for sample quality
-easily multiplexed (many tests in parallel)
-algorithms to correlate gene presence and pathogenicity
-less susceptible to variation in sequence than antibodies (target conserved regions)
newer assays can detect and determine
the sequence of all the nucleic acid in a sample
you can find things that you are not looking for and that no one has ever seen before
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
a method to amplify specific segments of DNA into very large quantities
what was the main advance that allowed PCR
the discovery of thermostable polymerases from bacteria living near hydrothermal vents