New, Highly Purified Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Native Antigen

The Native Antigen Company (NAC) has announced the release of a highly purified Mycoplasma pneumoniae native antigen.

M pneumoniae is recognized as one of the most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia.

Early diagnosis of M.pneumoniae, usually by an ELISA IgM assay, is important because the infection often responds well to appropriate antibiotics.

However, ELISA assays, particularly those for IgM detection, often exhibit poor sensitivity and may, in addition, be susceptible to cross reactivity from other pathogens.

The company claims that its new purified antigen preparation, which is highly reactive to IgM, will offer in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturers the opportunity to introduce next generation ELISA assays which demonstrate greater specificity set against an inherently low background signal.