Method for demonstrating an enzymatic activity of micro-organisms

• US 6,046,016 A
• Filed: 04/27/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bio Merieux
• Original Assignee: Bio Merieux
• Inventors: Orenga, Sylvain
• Primary Examiner(s): Lankford, Jr., Leon B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TATE, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN
• Application Number:
  US09/043,191
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 435/4, 435/19, 435/24, 435/29, 435/34, 435/243, 436/62, 436/164, 436/166, 436/172
• US Class Current: 435/24
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/04 Determining presence or kind of microorganism; Use of selective media for testing antibiotics or bacteriocides; Compositions containing a chemical indicator therefor C12Q1/6897 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/37 involving peptidase or proteinase
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2337/50 Indoles

Abstract

The method consists in the use of one compound of formula: X--NH--R in which X represents one 5-bromoindole-3-yle group and R represents the acyl radical of one amino acid selected between leucine and alanine, as tracer for demonstrating, by the formation of a colored product, a peptidase activity in a culture of micro-organisms.

Claims

1. A microorganism culture medium containing, besides the ingredients necessary for culturing microorganisms, at least one compound of formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">X--NH--R

in which X represents a 5-bromoindol-3-yl group and R represents the acyl residue of an amino acid chosen from leucine and alanine.

2. The culture medium according to claim 1, containing from 25 to 2000 mg/l of the said compound.

3. The culture medium according to claim 1, wherein the culture medium is a gelled medium.

4. A method for demonstrating a peptidase activity in a microorganism culture, wherein a tracer, which makes it possible to demonstrate said peptidase activity by formation of a colored product, is added to a culture medium of microorganisms, said tracer comprising at least one compound of formula:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">X--NH--R

in which X represents a 5-bromoindol-3-yl group and R represents an acyl residue of an amino acid chosen from leucine and alanine.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein R represents an acyl residue of L-Leu, L-Ala or D-Ala.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said culture medium is a gelled medium.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said culture medium is a liquid medium.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one other tracer is added to the culture medium, wherein said at least one other tracer makes it possible to demonstrate, by formation of a colored or fluorescent product, an enzymatic activity different from said peptidase activity.