The disclosure relates to systems and devices for diagnosing infectious disease (e.g., bacterial or viral infections). More particularly, the disclosure relates to acoustic sensors for detecting infectious disease caused by viral infections (e.g., coronavirus, rhinovirus, influenza, etc.).

The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, assays and systems for rapid detection of food-borne pathogens, including Vibrios.

A solid support for detecting the presence of antibodies in a biological sample, where the solid support includes microbial antigens immobilized on the solid support, wherein the microbial antigens include at least one antigen prepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia genus, for example Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii. Also, a method of detecting a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample, wherein the solid support is contacted with a biological sample.

The present invention provides for engineered molecular opsonins that may be used to bind biological pathogens or identify subclasses or specific pathogen species for use in devices and systems for treatment and diagnosis of patients with infectious diseases, blood-borne infections or sepsis. An aspect of the invention provides for mannose-binding lectin (MBL), which is an abundant natural serum protein that is part of the innate immune system. The ability of this protein lectin to bind to surface molecules on virtually all classes of biopathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans) make engineered forms of MBL extremely useful in diagnosing and treating infectious diseases and sepsis.

The present invention relates to a method for in vitro determining if an individual having a renal cell cancer (RCC) is likely to respond to a treatment with an anti-PD1/PD-L1/PD-L2 Ab-based therapy, based on the analysis of the microbiota present in a stool sample from said individual. Twelve models useful to perform the above method are disclosed, as well as tools designed to easily perform this method.

The invention relates to a method of detection of Gram-negative bacteria periplasmic space and cell wall outer membrane proteins by mass spectrometry, wherein the periplasmic space and cell wall outer membrane proteins are extracted from the bacteria, and the proteins to be detected are stabilized by an inhibitor and/or a substrate of the given protein, the proteins are then dissolved, placed onto a MALDI-TOF plate, covered with matrix solution, measured by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and the resulting spectra are compared to the reference peaks of the given protein. Preferably, the proteins are beta-lactamases and their detection can be used to quickly determine the bacterial resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics, minimizing the false-positive results.

The present invention relates to engineered Clostridium difficile type IV pilin (tfp) genes, type IV pilin proteins which can serve as a diagnostic marker for identification of patients infected with C. difficile, and vaccines comprising type IV pilin proteins, antigenic fragments and variants thereof for therapeutic interventions.

An apparatus and method for characterizing a target, e.g., microbial samples or biological toxins, includes labeling the target with a biomolecular recognition construct and measuring an atomic-spectra signal of the biomolecular recognition construct. The method can include heating the labeled target before measuring the atomic-spectra signal. The atomic-spectra signal can be measured by performing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The atomic-spectra signal can be measured by performing spark induced breakdown spectroscopy. The biomolecular recognition construct can be prepared by tagging a biological scaffolding with a metal atom or ion. In an aspect in which the target includes a microbial sample, the biological scaffolding can include an antibody against epitopes present on bacterial surface, the antibody linked to a heavy metal. In an aspect in which the target includes a biological toxin, the biological scaffolding can include an antibody against the biological toxin linked to heavy metals.

The present invention provides a method of treating, preventing, diagnosing and prognosing sepsis, and septic shock, and subjects likely to progress to sepsis and subjects in septic shock using biomarkers that can be used to stratify treatment procedures in response to the diagnosis.

Devices and methods incorporate mucolytic agents into a point-of-care testing device. The sample is loaded, and then the sample travels until it encounters one or more lysis agents and/or mucolytic agents. The mucolytic agent is preferably pre-loaded onto the collection device. In a preferred embodiment, the mucolytic agent is localized between the sample application zone and the conjugate zone. In embodiments with a sample compressor, one or more mucolytic agents may be pre-loaded and dried on the sample compressor, the sample collector, in various locations on the test strip, or in the running buffer.