bioMérieux receives AOAC Official Methods Approval for VIDAS® UP LPT & VIDAS® LMX

bioMérieux receives AOAC Official Methods Approval for VIDAS® UP LPT & VIDAS® LMX, Delivering Fast, Sensitive Total Listeria Detection
 

Fast-tracked, Simultaneous AOAC OMA Approval of Two Assays Marks the Significance of this Complete Listeria Package bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, today received two First Action Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) approvals from AOAC INTERNATIONAL for innovative food safety testing methods: VIDAS® UP Listeria (LPT) and VIDAS Listeria monocytogenes xpress (LMX). This unprecedented AOAC Expert Review Panel(ERP) approval of two food pathogen tests simultaneously, highlights the reliability and significance of this complete Listeria screening solution. VIDAS UP LPT and VIDAS LMX complement the company’s other next day food safety tests, VIDAS UP E. coli O157 (including H7)and VIDAS UP Salmonella, which are also based on phage technology.

The capability of both assays to test sample sizes of up to 125g, represents another industry milestone. These test approvals mirror the recent USDA-FSIS MLG 8.08 requirement to test larger composite sample sizes.
The new VIDAS UP LPT solution utilizes recombinant bacteriophage (phage) proteins that offer best-in-class specificity and sensitivity for the targeted and rapid detection of Listeria species in food and environmental samples. The VIDAS UP LPT assay is one of the most rapid and easy-touse Listeria spp. screening tests for food and environmental samples. Based on phage protein technology, it is able to detect low contamination levels and provides an extremely simple enrichment protocol, which reduces laboratory hands-on time, and delivers results in 27 hours as compared to reference methods, which require up to five days.

The VIDAS® LMX assay is one of the most rapid, automated, easy-to-use solutions for the screening of L. monocytogenes, the human pathogenic, adulterant strain of Listeria, in food and environmental samples. VIDAS LMX delivers results in as little as 28 hours, where traditional methods can take up to three days. The test provides a simple sample preparation, with minimal
manipulations, resulting in an optimized laboratory workflow.
VIDAS UP LPT & LMX have already been ISO 16140 certified by AFNOR for all human foods and production environment samples.

These two Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) approvals from AOAC INTERNATIONAL total close to 20 OMAs bioMérieux has obtained for its quality solutions.
“The 2011 listeria cantaloupe outbreak killed 33 people and was the third largest food outbreak in the US. bioMérieux is committed to bringing innovative solutions to our customers to ensure a safer food supply.” declared Nicolas Cartier, Corporate Vice-President, Industrial Microbiology Unit of bioMérieux. “VIDAS UP LPT is the newest member of the VIDAS UP menu that simplifies agrifood laboratories’ workflow, enabling improved cost-efficiency of food production.”

About Listeria
Members of the genus Listeria are widespread, and Listeria monocytogenes is pathogenic and thus very dangerous for humans. Listeria have been isolated from various food products including dairy products, meat, vegetables and seafood, as well as from environmental samples taken, in particular, from food processing plants. Listeriosis, an infection caused by Listeria, can pose major risks for certain populations. Namely, pregnant women, older adults, neonates and individuals with weakened immune systems are at greater risk. Pregnant women are approximately 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. In pregnant women, listeriosis typically manifests as a mild, flu-like illness. However, in the unborn child, listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or life-long health problems. Listeriosis has also been linked to pathologies such as meningitis,septicemia, encephalitis and may lead to spontaneous abortion.

About Bacteriophages
Bacteriophages, some of the most abundant life forms on earth, are highly specific viruses programmed exclusively to identify and infect host bacteria. Phages have co-evolved with bacteria for more than a billion years and are able to survive in the most extreme environments including soil, animal waste and intestinal tracts. Research shows that bacteriophages offer a number of
advantages, such as superior specificity and superior binding, when used in microbiological test systems. Phage proteins have been proven to provide robust performance in many different applications, even when challenged with the most demanding and complex food matrices.
Licensed exclusively to bioMérieux, the recombinant phage technology was developed by the German biotech company Hyglos GmbH.
“Because phages are extremely host-specific, they can offer unrivaled specificity and sensitivity for the targeted capture, detection and differentiation of bacteria from a given sample,” said Dr.Lawrence Goodridge, Associate Professor of Food Microbiology, Colorado State University. “Food pathogen detection methods utilizing bacteriophage technology can provide food producers with the ability to detect bacterial pathogens present in their products with unprecedented speed and reliability. This is critical to reducing the magnitude and severity of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of foods contaminated with dangerous bacteria.”

For more information, visit VIDAS solutions for Listeria monocytogenes detection

About bioMérieux Food Safety
bioMérieux has been a global leader in providing innovative solutions to address food safety testing issues for more than 20 years. bioMérieux's food safety focus encompasses prevention,detection, and quality assurance. The company offers extensive global resources and local expertise in microbiology and food safety, driven by cutting-edge research and science to bring powerful new tools to the food industry. bioMérieux's food testing solutions, including sample and media preparation equipment, prepared culture media, VIDAS®, TEMPO®, BacT/ALERT®, , DCount ®, VITEK® 2 and DiversiLab®, reflect its commitment to improving public health through a safe and nutritious food supply, accessible globally. To learn more about food safety and quality solutions from bioMérieux, visit wwwy.bioMérieux-industry.com.