Tim Sandle has written a review of a
new range of development tests that can detect bacterial species based on
analysis of endotoxin. The review is published in American Pharmaceutical
Review.
New research in the field of bacterial
endotoxin allows for the rapid detection, and quantitative estimation of,
different endotoxin species. This has long been thought theoretically possible
due to similarities and differences with the chemical structure of the
pyrogenicity and immunogenicity of lipopolysaccharide,1 but the technological
means to achieve this could not be realized commercially, or reliably, until
recently. A new technique, based on microchip electrophoretic methodology, can
examine lipopolysaccharides for variations in the length and composition of the
O-antigen and core oligosaccharide of the molecule; this is in addition to
assessing the number and length of fatty acid chains in the Lipid A portion of
lipopolysaccharide. When this information is computed and compared the new
method allows for the determination of the bacterial strain of the endotoxin.
The technology requires bacterial cells to be grown and a cellular lysate
obtained; the probable species is then determined through molecular size
comparison.
The reference is:
Sandle, T. (2017) Assessment of
Bacterial Endotoxin by Fluorescent Labeling, American Pharmaceutical Review, Endotoxin Supplement, October 2007,
pp1-3
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle