A compound comprising, in combination: a cell surface binding ligand or internalizing factor, such as an IL-13Rα2 binding ligand; at least one effector molecule (e.g., one, two, three or more effector molecules); optionally but preferably, a cytosol localization element covalently coupled between said binding ligand and said at least one effector molecule; and a subcellular compartment localization signal element covalently coupled between said binding ligand and said at least one effector molecule (and preferably with said cytosol localization element between said binding ligand and said subcellular compartment localization signal element). Methods of using such compounds and formulations containing the same are also described.

The present disclosure provides modified bacteria and modified peptidoglycan comprising modified D-amino acids; compositions comprising the modified bacteria or peptidoglycan; and methods of using the modified bacteria or peptidoglycan. The modified D-amino acids include a bioorthogonal functional group such as an azide, an alkyne or a norbornene group. Also provided are modified peptidoglycans conjugated to a molecule of interest via a linker.

The present invention concerns an assay, a method and a device for detecting the presence of an odorous compound on a surface comprising enclosing the surface in a compartment, which compartment comprises an odor capturing agent including a visual indicating agent, wherein the surface comprises an odorous compound derived from biofilm.

A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: (a) using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target in vitro or ex vivo cell population; (b) mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and (c) analysing said spectrometric data in order to identify and/or characterise said target cell population or one or more cells and/or compounds present in said target cell population.

The object is to provide a lysis method, lysis treatment solution, detection method using an immunochromatographic device, and detection kit comprising an immunochromatographic device for detecting whether causative bacteria of mastitis are coliform bacteria or not by using milk of a livestock animal. There is provided a method for lysing coliform bacteria, which comprises the step of mixing a lysis agent containing a lytic enzyme, and at least one kind of anionic surfactant, and preferably further containing at least one kind of nonionic surfactant, with milk obtained form a livestock animal to lyse coliform bacteria existing in the milk. The lytic enzyme is preferably lysozyme.

To provide a method for discriminating a microorganism by selecting and using a marker protein capable of reproducibly and quickly discriminating a bacterial species of the genus Listeria. The method for discriminating a microorganism according to the present invention includes: a step of subjecting a sample containing a microorganism to mass spectrometry to obtain a mass spectrum; a reading step of reading a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of a peak derived from a marker protein from the mass spectrum; and a discrimination step of discriminating which bacterial species of Listeria bacteria the microorganism contained in the sample contains based on the mass-to-charge ratio m/z, in which at least one of 17 ribosomal proteins L3, L4, L23, L2, L24, L6, L18, S5, L15, S13, S11, L10, L21, L13, S9, L31, S16 is used as the marker protein and particularly at least one of 8 ribosomal proteins L24, L6, L18, L15, S9, L31, S16 among the 17 ribosomal proteins is used.

Methods for determining the susceptibility or resistance of bacteria to antibiotic agents are provided. In one embodiment, the methods include culturing the bacteria in the presence or absence or the antimicrobial agent to generate a primary culture which is then cultured in the presence or absence of transforming phages. The recombinant phages are specific to the bacteria and comprise a heterologous marker (e.g., a nucleic acid that is expressible as a detectable product such as an RNA or a protein). The susceptibility or resistance of the bacteria to the antimicrobial agent may be determined by assaying the culture for the presence or absence of the heterologous marker, wherein a reduction in the level or activity of the marker in the culture compared to the level or activity of the marker in a comparative culture indicates that the bacteria is sensitive to the antibiotic agent.

To provide a method for discriminating a microorganism by selecting and using a marker protein capable of reproducibly and quickly discriminating a bacterial species of the genus Listeria. The method for discriminating a microorganism according to the present invention includes: a step of subjecting a sample containing a microorganism to mass spectrometry to obtain a mass spectrum; a reading step of reading a mass-to-charge ratio m/z of a peak derived from a marker protein from the mass spectrum; and a discrimination step of discriminating which bacterial species of Listeria bacteria the microorganism contained in the sample contains based on the mass-to-charge ratio m/z, in which at least one of 17 ribosomal proteins L3, L4, L23, L2, L24, L6, L18, S5, L15, S13, S11, L10, L21, L13, S9, L31, S16 is used as the marker protein and particularly at least one of 8 ribosomal proteins L24, L6, L18, L15, S9, L31, S16 among the 17 ribosomal proteins is used.

A method of spectrometric analysis comprises obtaining one or more sample spectra for an aerosol, smoke or vapour sample. The one or more sample spectra are subjected to pre-processing and then multivariate and/or library based analysis so as to classify the aerosol, smoke or vapour sample. The results of the analysis are used for various surgical or non-surgical applications.

The invention enables efficient, rapid, and sensitive enumeration of living cells by detecting microscopic colonies derived from in situ cell division using large area imaging. Microbial enumeration tests based on the invention address an important problem in clinical and industrial microbiology—the long time needed for detection in traditional tests—while retaining key advantages of the traditional methods based on microbial culture. Embodiments of the invention include non-destructive aseptic methods for detecting cellular microcolonies without labeling reagents. These methods allow for the generation of pure cultures which can be used for microbial identification and determination of antimicrobial resistance.