Patent ID: 6844199

Claim:
A method for detecting the presence of a specific microorganism in a sample, the microorganism having a characteristic resonance enhanced Raman backscattered energy spectrum produced by irradiating nucleic acids in the microorganism at a wavelength between 242-257 nm, the method comprising: (a) contacting the sample with a medium comprising solid phase immobilized antibodies which specifically bind to a characteristic cell surface antigen on the microorganism to form an antigen-antibody complex, thereby immobilizing the microorganism on the solid phase; (b) irradiating the solid phase of step (a) with a laser light of 242-257 nm to produce a resonance enhanced Raman backscattered energy; and (c) comparing the induced spectrum of step (b) with said characteristic spectrum to detect the presence of the microorganism in the sample, when at least a 200:1 ratio of solid phase immobilized antibodies in the medium to microorganism in the sample exists.