Patent ID: 9376704
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: C12Q,G01N

Claim Text:
1. A liquid assay method for detecting a bacteriophage in an unconcentrated or concentrated sample as an indicator of a hygienic quality of the sample, the method comprising: a. hydrating a media, the hydrated media providing: b. mixing a culture of the fecal bacteria with a first volume of the hydrated media and the unconcentrated or concentrated sample to create a first admixture; c. incubating the first admixture to create a first incubated admixture; d. increasing detection of less prolific phage by adding at least a portion of the first incubated admixture with a volume of a second hydrated media to create a second admixture to reduce background signal resulting from growth of the fecal bacteria and natural lysis of the fecal bacteria not induced by the bacteriophage, wherein the second admixture comprises: e. incubating the second admixture; and f. detecting a signal from the indicator, when present, while the fecal bacteria continue to grow in the second admixture, the signal being present in the presence of the extracellular released enzyme, and wherein a detectable signal indicates the presence of the bacteriophage in the sample, the presence of the bacteriophage indicative of low hygienic quality of the sample.