Patent ID: 7968280
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of producing a preparation for detecting the presence and/or quantity of lipoteichoic acid in a sample, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a crustacean hemocyte preparation, wherein the crustacean hemocytes in the preparation (i) have an outer membrane and (ii) contain lipoteichoic acid reactive material disposed therein; (b) rendering the outer membrane of at least a portion of the crustacean hemocytes in the crustacean hemocyte preparation permeable to the lipoteichoic acid reactive material so that the lipoteichoic acid reactive material is released from the crustacean hemocytes; (c) harvesting the lipoteichoic acid reactive material released from the crustacean hemocytes; and (d) determining that the lipoteichoic acid reactive material harvested in step (c) is activatable by lipoteichoic acid such that prophenol oxidase is converted into phenol oxidase when the lipoteichoic acid reactive material is contacted with lipoteichoic acid.