Patent ID: 6703243
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method for detecting protein present on the surface of a sample, the method comprising the steps of:treating the surface or the sample with a disinfectant or antimicrobial agent, the disinfectant or antimicrobial agent being a quaternary ammonium compound; transferring substances present on a subject portion of said surface to a sampling means which comprises a water absorbable portion comprising a water-insoluble polymer; contacting the substances transferred onto said sampling means with a reagent which is a non-halogenated compound selected from the group consisting of phenolsulphonephthaleins and cresolsulphonephonephthaleins capable of forming or changing color upon reaction with protein; visually determining color changed or formed by the reaction of said reagent with protein, wherein the substances transferred onto the sampling means are also contacted with a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of(i) condensates of aliphatic carboxylic acids having about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms in an aliphatic chain and incorporating from about 2 to about 50 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide and/or butylene units, (ii) condensates of aliphatic alcohols having from about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms and incorporating from about 2 to about 50 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide and/or butylene oxide units, (iii) condensates of alkyl phenols having about 6 to 12 carbon atoms and incorporating from about 2 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide and/or propylene and/or butylene oxide, (iv) polyoxyethylene derivatives of sorbitan mono-, di- and tri-fatty acid esters wherein the fatty acid component has between 12 and 24 carbon atoms and the polyethylene chains contain between about 4 and 30 ethylene oxide units, (v) polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymers having the formula: HO(CH2CH2O)a(CH(CH3)CH2O)b(CH2CH2O)cH or HO(CH(CH3)CH2O)(CH2CH2O)e(CH(CH3)CH2O)fH wherein a, b, c, d, e, and f are integers from 1 to 350 reflecting the respective polyethylene oxide blocks of said polymer, wherein the polyoxyethylene component of the block polymer is at least about 10% of the block polymer,(vi) alkyl glycosides having formula: R4O(R5O)n(Z1)p wherein R4 is a monovalent organic radical, for example a monovalent saturated aliphatic, unsaturated aliphatic or aromatic radically such as alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkenyl, aryl, alkylaryl, hydroxyalkylaryl, arylalkyl, alkenylaryl, arylalkenyl and the like having from about 6 to about 30 carbon atoms, wherein R5 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical containing from 2 to about 4 carbon atoms such as ethylene, propylene or butylene (most preferably the unit (R5O)n represents repeating units of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and/or random or block combinations thereof); N is an integer from 0 to about 12; Z1 represents a moiety derived from a reducing saccharide containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms; and p is a number from 0.5 to about 10, or a zwitterionic surfactant, or mixtures of these surfactants.