Mast launches new E. coli testing kit

Mast has announced the launch of a new testing kit for the identification of a strain of E. coli that is an established cause of food-borne infections.

The Mast Isoplex VTEC kit is indicated for detecting verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) and produces results within one hour, while it can also be used directly from the sample without extraction.

VTEC is recognised as a cause of bloody diarrhoea which can progress to serious infections such as haemolytic uremic syndrome, meaning rapid diagnosis of the infection is essential in order to contain it.

Mast Isoplex VTEC uses novel loop mediated isothermal amplification to overcome the unreliability of traditional culture methods, while its simplicity and fast mode of action makes it ideal for labs of all sizes.

A recent study from the Scottish E.coli O157/VTEC Reference Laboratory praised the product as "a useful adjunct to current VTEC testing at diagnostic laboratories that do not have access to polymerase chain reaction testing".

The kit was first previewed to attendees of the VTEC 2012 international symposium, which was held in Amsterdam during May last year.