Patent ID: 6090573
Filing Date: 2000-07-18
Classification: C07K,C12N,C12Q,C12Y,G01N

Abstract:
A method for first detecting the presence or amount of a eubacteria or a fungus in a biological sample and for then determining the antibiotic sensitivity or antibiotic resistance of said eubacteria or a fungus comprising the steps of:collecting the biological sample;incubating a first aliquot of the cultured biological sample with a murein binding polypeptide under conditions suitable for binding of the murein binding polypeptide to the eubacteria or fungus;detecting the bound murein binding polypeptide thereby detecting the presence or amount of the eubacteria or fungus in the biological sample;then if said eubacteria or said fungus are detected, determining said antibiotic sensitivity by the steps of:culturing a second and a third aliquot of the biological sample for a period of time and under conditions suitable for growth of the eubacteria or the fungus, wherein said second aliquot is cultured in the presence of said antibiotic and said third aliquot is cultured in the absence of said antibiotic; and,incubating a portion of the second and the third aliquots with a murein binding polypeptide under conditions suitable for binding of the murein binding polypeptide to the eubacteria or fungus;detecting the bound murein binding polypeptide thereby detecting the amount of the eubacteria or fungus in the biological sample;determining the eubacteria or the fungus to be antibiotic sensitive if the amount of eubacteria or fungus in the third aliquot is greater than in the second;wherein said murein binding polypeptide comprises a catalytically inactive enzyme capable of binding but not cleaving a peptidoglycan comprising NAc-muramic acid in said eubacteria or fungus.