MicroVal Approves Bio-Rad PCR Kit for Detection of STEC in Flour and Raw Dough

HERCULES, Calif.—Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb), a global leader in life science research and clinical diagnostic products, today announced that MicroVal has approved the iQ-Check STEC VirX Kit for the real-time PCR detection of virulence genes in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in flour products (375 g) and raw dough products (375 g).

MicroVal is an international certification organization for the validation and approval of alternative methods for the microbiological analysis of food and beverages. The technical protocol and result interpretation for this study were carried out according to the ISO-16140-2:2016 and MicroVal technical rules.

The validation study demonstrated excellent results and excellent sensitivity with the iQ-Check STEC VirX method, compared to the reference method ISO/TS 13136. The kit was evaluated on parameters such as sensitivity, relative level of detection, inclusivity and exclusivity. In addition, Bio-Rad's iQ-Check Free DNA Removal Solution was validated as part of the workflow to remove free/dead cell DNA from the samples before PCR testing.

The iQ-Check STEC VirX kit is recognized by renowned international validation organizations, such as AOAC INTERNATIONAL, and is the screening step for the United States Department of Agriculture Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (USDA MLG) reference method Chapter 5C.02.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) can be highly pathogenic to humans, potentially leading to hemorrhagic colitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and death. The iQ-Check STEC VirX kit is a complete, flexible, and open solution, enabling industrial microbiology laboratories to control and adjust their quality assurance procedures more effectively. The certificate (2021LR96) is available on www.bio-rad.com/validations.

For more information on Bio-Rad’s complete range of iQ-Check real-time PCR test kits, please visit http://www.bio-rad.com/iqcheck.

BIO-RAD is a trademark of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. in certain jurisdictions.

About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) is a global leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing a broad range of innovative products for the life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. With 70 years of focus on quality and customer service, our products advance the scientific discovery process and improve healthcare. Our customers are universities, research institutions, hospitals, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as public health and commercial laboratories including food safety and environmental quality testing facilities. Based in Hercules, California, Bio-Rad has a global network of operations with approximately 8,300 employees worldwide and $2.8 billion in revenues in 2022. For more information, please visit bio-rad.com.

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