Patent ID: 7494771

Claim:
A method for the universal release of nucleic acids from viral particles, bacterial cells, yeast cells, fungal cells, parasitical cells, animal cells or human cells of a sample, suitable for use in a nucleic acid testing (NAT) assay, consisting essentially of the steps of: a) contacting the cells or viral particles with a mixture of at least a first set and a second set of solid lysing particles, wherein the particles in the first set are of a smaller diameter than the particles of the second set, and wherein the diameters of the first set fall between about 75 μm to about 212 μm and wherein the diameters of the second set fall between about 425 μm and 2000 μm, wherein the mixture does not contain any lysogenic agents, b) applying a mechanical force sufficient to lyse the cells or viral particles, so as to obtain a cellular or viral lysate; and c) controlling the presence and/or activity of nucleic acids testing (NAT) assay inhibitors.