bioMerieux Unveils Groundbreaking E. coli O157/H7 Detection Technology at IAFP

bioMerieux has introduced a breakthrough in food quality testing, VIDAS® UP, for
the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

This new solution is based on the latest technology available for food pathogen screening: phage recombinant protein, which offers unique specificity and sensitivity. E. coli O157:H7 is a strain of Escherichia coli that has caused outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe, in some cases leading to death.

VIDAS UP delivers test results in just seven hours and has the flexibility of analyzing larger sample sizes of up to 375 grams. It is significantly faster than molecular methods which can incur additional equipment expenditure and complexity. Exclusively licensed to bioMerieux, the recombinant phage technology was developed by the German company Profos AG. The new test is available on VIDAS®, the world´s leading system for automated pathogen detection.

'E. coli O157:H7 is a major health threat and we are very proud to be at the forefront of the industry with an innovative solution for faster and more precise detection,' said Alexandre Merieux, bioMerieux Corporate Vice President, Industrial Microbiology.

'Quick, accurate detection of E. coli O157:H7 is of critical importance today as we see food-borne illness on the rise. VIDAS UP will allow food producers to detect this pathogen earlier and help keep the public safe from outbreaks.'

Bacteriophages are highly specific viruses that only infect bacteria. They use adhesion structures to bind to their bacterial hosts. In VIDAS UP, special binding proteins from bacteriophages are used for the first time for the targeted capture and detection of bacteria from a sample. This technology provides best-in-class sensitivity and specificity, particularly in highly contaminated samples such as animal waste, irrigation water and animal breeding environments.

The IAFP (International Association for Food Protection) meeting is held on August 3-6, 2008, Columbus, Ohio (USA).