NEW MEMBERS OF THE UK SALES TEAM

Microgen Bioproducts is pleased to announce the growth of the sales team with the addition of; Andrew Hall, Territory Manager for the North of the UK and Aleksandra Nowicka, Territory Manager for the South and South West of England.

VISIT MICROGEN IN 2008

Microgen Bioproducts will be attending and/ or exhibiting at the following meetings in 2008.

Clinical Virology Network

Moor Hall Hotel, Sutton, Coldfield, Birmingham , UK , 26 th -27 th February 2008 .

Wessex Applied Microbiologists

Novotel, Southampton , UK , 18 th -20 th April 2008 .

CCFRA Micro Methods

CCFRA, Camden , UK , 10 th June 2008 .

Microbe

Hilton Hotel, Sheffield , UK , 26 th – 28 th September 2008.

Medica

Düsseldorf , Germany , 19 th - 22 nd November 2008.

We look forward to seeing you!

RAPID AND ALTERNATIVE MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS MEETING: IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANISMS

Microgen Bioproducts will be attending this meeting at CCRFA, Chipping Campden, UK on Tuesday 12th June.

Please visit us to discuss our extensive range of laboratory test kits and sample preparation methods.

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE CONGRESS 2007

Microgen Bioproducts will be attending the 2007 Biomedical Science Congress, 24 - 26 September in Birmingham, England.

Please visit our booth to update on our latest product releases.

VISIT MICROGEN DURING 2007

EMERGING CAMPYLOBACTER SPP. IN THE FOOD CHAIN - European Commission Research Project. FEBRUARY 8th, 2006

This meeting to be held in Dublin, Ireland in February, 2006 will review the results generated from the various projects undertaken within this project during the period 2002 - 2003. Results of investigations carried out on the isolation, detection and identification of the newly emerging Campylobacter spp., their incidence and risks associated with these strains will be presented.

For more information, download the conference brochure

THE RAPID ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF Listeria species FROM FOOD SAMPLES

The combination of the chromogenic culture medium ALOA (AES Laboratoire, available in the UK from Microgen Bioproducts) and the biochemical identification system Microgen® Listeria ID has been demonstrated to facilitate the isolation and identification of all Listeria species from food samples within 3 days.

Food samples were pulsified (Pulsifier® , Microgen Bioproducts Ltd) and then incubated for 24 hours in half Fraser broth after which a sample was inoculated onto ALOA agar plate medium. After 24 hours incubation colonies were examined to provide a presumptive identification based on their colour. Listeria species produce blue/ green colonies with L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii producing a halo (clear zone) around the colonies. Any other organisms growing on the medium produce white colonies which are easily differentiated from Listeria species. Colonies suspected of being L. monocytogenes or L. ivanovii were inoculated directly into the Microgen® Listeria ID to provide final biochemical identification.

The ALOA agar medium has been fully validated under the AFNOR regulatory framework in France and is also cited in the BAM method for Listeria species. In the AFNOR studies, ALOA agar plates yielded more colonies of Listeria species after 24 hours incubation than PALCAM or OXFORD agar plates after 48 hours incubation. In both the ALOA method and the OXFORD agar method, their was a 100% correlation for the isolation of L. monocytogenes using a range of food samples.

The combination of ALOA and the Microgen® Listeria ID meets the requirements of AFNOR(France).

This work was presented at ASM, 2004 by S.A. Clark (Microgen Bioproducts, UK ), J-P Aurel (AES Laboratoire, France) and G. Dunn (Microbiology International, USA ).

DIAGNOSTIC HYBRIDS ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH UK DIAGNOSTICS GROUP.

On November 19th, Athens, OH based Diagnostic Hybrids Inc. (DHI) announced that the Company signed a product distribution agreement with Microgen Bioproducts Limited, a technology-based diagnostics company based in Camberley, Surrey (England). Microgen will be responsible for sales and representation of DHI virology products in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. The distribution agreement is effective immediately and will focus initially on introducing specific respiratory virus detection products in the UK territory. This agreement extends the exposure of DHI virology products to a population of 60 million people.

Microgen Bioproducts is an independent, private company that is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of products used by laboratory professionals to aid in the detection and diagnosis of diseases and organisms which pose a threat to human and animal health. The company is an established market leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of infectious disease and food pathogen detection tests. Microgen has expertise and experience in the creation and manufacture of diagnostic tests for enteric pathogens and infectious diseases. They operate a direct sales force in the United Kingdom.

According to David R. Scholl, Ph.D., President and CEO of DH, I“This agreement is the culmination of substantial effort over the past twelve months to find a productive sales partner for DHI in the UK, Microgen is a business similar in size and capability to us, with a proven track record of excellence in customer and technical service. DHI’s innovative virology products are an outstanding fit with their current market and customer focus.”

Diagnostic Hybrids is a fast growing bioscience firm that develops, manufactures, and markets innovative cell culture products for multiple applications in diagnostic virology and endocrine disease. These products offer laboratory staff a rapid, cost-effective diagnostic solution to an otherwise lengthy and expensive process. They currently sell their products to over 600 customers domestically and throughout North America.

Daniel Deery Ph.D., managing director of Microgen, predicts that DHI’s products will do well in the UK. “Sensitive and innovative tissue cell cultures are becoming difficult for customers in the UK to access locally” explained Deery, “especially with traditional sources of these cells in the UK closing. We believe DHI’s cell culture products are the most sensitive and reliable commercial-grade cell cultures in the world and we are committed to providing our customers immediate access to these products cost-effectively.”

DHI has recently completed preparations for CE Marking of specific products intended for sale in the UK and other countries of Europe. “CE Marking” indicates that DHI has conformed with all obligations required by the legislation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, Directive 98/79/EC on in vitro diagnostic medical devices. This will allow DHI to freely circulate its products within the European marketplace. In addition, DHI has developed a quality management system that is in compliance with the international standard for medical devices, ISO 13485. In December 2003, CE marking will be required on all diagnostic products sold in these countries.

Both firms recognize the immediate benefits of this relationship and look forward to a continued successful partnership. “The Microgen agreement initiates our effort to attract business partners on a global basis. We hope to extend DHI into Europe in the upcoming year,” said Bill Basinger, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for DHI.

Visit: www.dhiusa.com

MICROGEN RELEASES A NEW RANGE OF BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION PRODUCTS

Our in-house Research and Development Team have finalised the development of our new range of improved bacterial identification systems. The MicrogenTM ID range consists of 2 products for the identification of gram negative bacilli, the A test panel for the commonly encountered clinical and food based gram negative bacilli and the B panel which when used in conjunction with the A panel will identify all 139 currently recognised species of the family Enterobacteriaceae plus many of the commonly encountered oxidase positive gram negative bacilli. The second product is for the identification of Listeria spp., an important food pathogen. This product is a fully self contained identification system which includes a specially developed micro well haemolysis test which enhances it’s suitability for use in Food Testing Laboratories. The interpretation of the results from these 2 systems is assisted by the MicrogenTM Identification System Software, the easiest yet most comprehensive computer based identification package available.

MICROGENTM LEGIONELLA NOW INCLUDES SEROTYPE 15

The MicrogenTM Legionella Latex kits now includes the detection of L. pneumophila serogroup 15 in the second typing reagent (previously 2 – 14, now 2 –15). Serogroup 15 of L. pneumophila is also known as the Lansing Group.

The conventional method for identification of Legionella utilise specific antisera in standard agglutination or immunofluorescence tests. However, these methods lack sensitivity, are time consuming and can require specialised training and expensive equipment. The test latexes used in MicrogenTM Legionella are coated with specific immunoglobulins which have been specially processed to eliminate cross reactions with potentially cross reacting organisms. Consequently the results obtained with Microscreen® Legionella are both accurate and easy to interpret.

The MicrogenTM Legionella is currently the only latex based culture confirmation test to include reactivity to L. pneumophila Serogroup 15.

ALOA AND OTHER CHROMOGENIC MEDIA NOW AVAILABLE

Microgen is now the exclusive UK distributor for the AES Laboratories, France range of Chromogenic culture media for Food and Clinical Laboratory use.
The first product to be released is ALOA Agar Plates, a pre prepared selective and differential medium for the isolation of Listeria spp. from food samples and for the presumptive identification of L. monocytogenes. ALOA medium is now recommended in the DRAFT ISO Standard 11290 (May 2002) Microbiology of foods and animal feeding stuffs – horizontal method for detection and enumeration of L. monocytogenes.

Other Chromogenic pre prepared media to be released soon include:

· ASAP – for the isolation and presumptive identification of Salmonella spp.
· U.S.A. – Urine Specific Agar for the isolation and presumptive identification of common urinary tract infection pathogens.
· METI STAPH – a screening medium for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
· ESBL – a selective isolation medium for Enterobacteriaceae producing Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)

PULSIFIER – FOOD SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Microgen has released the Pulsifier®, the most innovative technology for the preparation of food samples for microbiological analysis since the development of the “paddle type” processor over 30 years ago. The Pulsifier® employs a patented technology which relies on the creation of intense vibrations and mixing which remove bacteria from food samples without the accompanying breakdown of the food matrix. This results in the recovery of bacteria in equivalent or higher numbers than is achieved using a “paddle type” processor, whilst providing significant cleaner samples which are easily pipetted and may be more readily filtered.

The action of the Pulsifier® almost entirely eliminates bag breakage’s and the quality of the sample produced offers significant advantages to laboratories employing filtration and spiral plating techniques and rapid methods including EIA and PCR where inhibitors may be released from food matrices during destructive processing.

MICROGEN PARTICIPATES IN CAMPYCHECK PROJECT

CAMPYCHECK is a joint European, US and South African project aimed at the development of improved isolation, detection and identification procedures for all Campylobacteriaceae from typical samples which may be tested from the human food chain.

Routine culture methods are recognized as being inadequate for the isolation of many species of Campylobacteriaceae, focussing primarily on the thermophilic strains such as C. jejuni and C. coli. The primary aim of clinical laboratories has been the isolation of these strains based on their percieved status as significant pathogens. Epidemiological evidence from studies performed by investigators in South Africa, Belgium, Australia and Denmark has however highlighted the fact that there are other important Campylobacter spp. which can be isolated with a high prevalence when alternative isolation methods are employed.

The CAMPYCHECK project aims to confirm the presence of these emerging Campylobacteriaceae in clinical faecal and other food chain samples in Europe and North America and adapt current detection/ identification methods to their investigation.

Microgen Bioproducts is a key member of the research consortium involved in this project which is funded under the EC Fifth Framework Programme on “Quality of life and management of living resources” Project code: QLRT-2001-02201.

Visit: www.campycheck.org