Patent ID: 6524804
Filing Date: 2003-02-25
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A process for detecting an antibiotic or antibiotics containing a &bgr;-lactam ring in a biological fluid, comprising the steps of:(a) placing a determined volume of the biological fluid in contact with an amount of recognition agent to form a mixture, and incubating the mixture under conditions which allow for the formation of a complex between an antibiotic or antibiotics, which may be present in the biological fluid, and the recognition agent, (b) placing the mixture obtained in step (a) in contact with at least one reference antibiotic which has been immobilized on a solid support, under conditions which allow the reference antibiotic to form a complex with the recognition agent which is not complexed with the antibiotic or antibiotics in the biological fluid, and (c) detecting the antibiotic or antibiotics by determining the amount of the recognition agent complexed to the immobilized reference antibiotic in step (b), wherein the recognition agent comprises a receptor which specifically binds to antibiotics containing a &bgr;-lactam ring and is obtained from Bacillus lichenformis, wherein the amount of the recognition agent which has been complexed in step (b) with the reference antibiotic is inversely proportional to the amount of the antibiotic or antibiotics present in the biological fluid, and wherein the antibiotic or antibiotics are detected in 5 minutes or less.