Patent ID: 9606120
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. A method for in vitro detection of a microorganism M using a biological sample comprising: performing an immunoassay that includes contacting the biological sample with an interfering peptide and a binding partner for (i) an antibody Ab determining whether a complex has formed between the binding partner and (i) the antibody Ab wherein: formation of the complex indicates that the microorganism M is present; the interfering peptide has a peptide sequence S of 7 to 12 amino acids that is included in the peptide sequence of the target protein of the microorganism M; the sequence S is aligned with respect to a peptide sequence S′ of 7 to 12 amino acids that is included in the peptide sequence of an antigenic protein of an interfering microorganism M′ different from the target microorganism M; the sequences S and S′ exhibit at least 50% identity over their length of 7 to 12 amino acids and at least 4 identical or analogous contiguous amino acids; the sequences S and S′ have identical lengths or exhibit a difference of 1 or 2 amino acids distributed at one and/or the other end of the sequences; the interfering peptide blocks false positive results linked to the presence of antibodies Ab one of the microorganism M and the microorganism M′ is hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the other of the microorganism M and the microorganism M′ is selected from the group consisting of one of the microorganism M and the microorganism M′ is human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 and the other of the microorganism M and the microorganism M′ is