Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing expands global ID Footprint

By Mark Kaiser, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Senior Director, MarkKaiser@eurofinsUS.com

Eurofins Biopharma Product Testing group has enhanced its identification capabilities with the acquisition of IDmyk, a laboratory specialised in identification and molecular typing of microorganisms. Integration of the IDmyk databases for sequence analysis into the Eurofins Biopharma Product Testing laboratory network, including the laboratory in Lancaster, PA, USA, provides a global platform for clients using multiple Eurofins locations.

IDmyk, located in Lyon, France, offers the largest proprietary databases for sequence-based identification of organisms. The databases contain 8,450 type strains of organisms relevant to the bio/pharmaceutical industry and are updated regularly with new organisms through a validated process. The use of long sequencing for bacteria as a standard approach improves the accuracy of the identification when compared with partial sequencing commonly used in the bio/ pharmaceutical industry. Multilocus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) is available and uses sequencing of housekeeping genes and extended databases of reference sequences to further discriminate organisms at the species level.

IDmyk also offers molecular typing to differentiate strains of the same species to support contamination investigations. Services include MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST), Arbitrary Primed PCR (APPCR), Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR), Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (CHEF) and MicroSatellite Analysis (MSAT). In addition, Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories (ELLI) has added the capability to identify bacteria using MALDI-TOF which provides phenotypic identification using organisms' protein patterns. ELLI uses the Bruker platform and its validated database of 4,600 organisms. The MALDI-TOF service provides clients with cost-effective identification in short timeframes, including same-day service and is ideal for identification of isolates from environmental monitoring.

The addition of MALDI-TOF, the largest libraries of organisms worldwide for sequencing and molecular typing through IDmyk, provides clients with comprehensive services and the option to choose the appropriate level of identification to fit their needs.

For more information, visit www.eurofins.com/biopharma.