Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Methods for detecting shigella bacteria or antibodies to shigella bacteria with an immunoassay
 This invention relates generally to in vitro methods for inducing or enhancing expression of enteric bacterial antigens and/or virulence factors thereby producing antigenically enhanced enteric bacteria, to methods for using antigenically enhanced enteric bacteria and to vaccines comprising antigenically enhanced enteric bacteria. A Shigella bacterium having enhanced antigenic property is disclosed. A culture medium useful for culturing the Shigella comprises 0.05% to 3% bile or 0.025% to 0.6% of one or more bile acids or salts. In addition a divalent cation chelator can also be included in the culture medium. The bacteria culture is in a growth phase at early log phase and between early log phase and stationary phase. The enhanced antigenic property is a higher level of an immunogenic antigen when compared to the antigenic property of the same bacteria grown on brain heart infusion broth. Also, antibodies to Shigella bacteria or Shigella bacteria in samples are detected by immunoassays. 
Antex Biologics Inc.
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John Lee Steven Michael Richard Ives
Pace Frey Walker