Neorickettsia helminthoeca is an obligate intra-cytoplasmic bacterium that causes salmon poisoning disease (SPD), an acute, febrile, fatal disease of dogs. Disclosed are compositions and methods for the immunodetection of N. helminthoeca in a canine subject. Also disclosed are immunogenic N. helminthoeca peptides that can be used in a vaccine for N. helminthoeca.

Methods and apparatus for detecting, quantifying, enriching, and/or separating bacterial species in fluid sample are provided. The fluid sample is provided as input to a microfluidic passage of a microfluidic device, wherein the microfluidic device comprises at least one electrode disposed adjacent to the microfluidic passage. The at least one electrode is activated to capture bacteria in the sample using dielectrophoresis, wherein the capture efficiency of bacteria is at least 99%.

The present invention provides methods and systems to accurately detect and measure levels of endogenous antibodies, for examples endogenous IgA, to particular antigens in a biological sample from a companion animal, which is useful to diagnose inflammatory conditions, including bowel disease (IBD), gastrointestinal infections, and food sensitivities in companion animals, e.g., dogs or cats, and to distinguish among such gastrointestinal disorders. Such methods and systems identify whether a sample from the patient is associated with an inflammatory condition, infection, and/or food sensitivity condition, by using non-invasive means, thus conveniently providing information useful for guiding treatment decisions.

Peptides are described herein, in particular peptides having antimicrobial properties, as are compositions, articles, and kits comprising such peptides, and methods for using the peptides.

The present invention provides a diagnostic method which may be used to determine the likelihood that a subject with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) will respond to treatment with an IBS intervention diet or faecal microbiota transplant (FMT). In particular, the method may be used to predict, or determine the likelihood of, a positive response of the subject with IBS to treatment with an IBS intervention diet or FMT, especially to determine the likelihood that the dietary intervention or FMT may have a positive (i.e. beneficial) effect on the subject's GI tract, specifically the GI tract microbiota, or other symptoms or complications of IBS (e.g. reducing severity thereof). The method of the present invention is based on analysing the abundance of certain bacteria in GI tract samples, e.g. by nucleic acid analysis.

There is provided a method of detecting in a sample the presence of an anti-M and/or anti-A and/or anti-C/Y antibody, the method comprising contacting the sample with a diagnostic conjugate provided according to the invention, comprising an oligosaccharide which comprises at least two units of 4,6-dideoxy-4-acylamido-α-pyranose and comprising at least one -(1-3)-link between adjacent 4,6-dideoxy-4-acylamido-α-pyranose units, in which the carbon at position 5 in the pyranose is linked to an R group, where R is independently selected from —CH.sub.2OH, —H or an alkyl group having at least one C atom, the oligosaccharide being covalently linked to a non-saccharide molecule or to a surface.

A method for prediction of the susceptibility of an at risk patient to developing or redeveloping an infection with Clostridium difficile, having the determination by immunoassay, in a stool sample from said patient, of the level of antibody IgA anti-toxin B of Clostridium difficile, and comparing this level with a reference value S determined beforehand using two populations of patients exposed to the bacterium, one population not having developed or redeveloped such an infection and the other population having developed or redeveloped such an infection, —a level lower than said reference value S signifying that the patient is a patient with a heightened risk of developing or redeveloping a Clostridium difficile infection, and —a level higher than said reference value S signifying that the patient is not a patient with a heightened risk of developing or redeveloping a Clostridium difficile infection.

Described are a therapeutic monoclonal antibody specific for the Type Six Secretion System (T6SS) needle protein of Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) and methods of use. Specifically, the antibody specifically binds to hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hep). Further disclosed are methods of using an anti-Hep antibody for detecting A. baumannii in a sample as well as a mutant A. baumannii strain comprising a deletion or mutation in its genome such that said deletion or mutation interrupts the proper translation of its hep protein.

Method and compositions using transition metal salts and/or ammonium chloride to liberate toxins and other molecules from cyanobacteria, useful for assaying for total cyanobacterial toxins in lakes, reservoirs and other waters.

A method of analyzing biological data containing expression values of a plurality of polypeptides in the blood of a subject. The method comprises: calculating a distance between a segment of a curved line and an axis defined by a direction, the distance being calculated at a point over the curved line defined by a coordinate along the direction. The method further comprises correlating the distance to the presence of, absence of, or likelihood that the subject has, a bacterial infection. The coordinate is defined by a combination of the expression values, wherein at least 90% of the segment is between a lower bound line and an upper bound line.