Heat-treated
The application provides heat-treated Limulus amebocyte lysates useful for detecting β-glucans.
1. A method of detecting (1→3)-β-D-glucan in a sample, the method comprising:
combining the sample with a heat-treated Limulus amebocyte lysate comprising (1→3)-β-D-glucan-sensitive Limulus Factor G and having an endotoxin reactivity less than 0.1% of the endotoxin reactivity of an untreated Limulus amebocyte lysate and detecting a change in an optical property of the sample.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising combining the sample with a substrate for activated Limulus amebocyte lysate prior to detecting the change in the optical property of the sample.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate is combined with the sample after the sample and lysate are incubated for a predetermined period of time.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate, sample, and lysate are combined simultaneously.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate is a fluorogenic substrate or a chromogenic substrate.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in the optical property of the sample is a change in an absorbance value of the sample.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in the optical property of the sample is a change in a transmission value of the sample.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a time taken for the change in the optical property of the sample to reach a predetermined value is measured.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in the optical property of the sample is measured after a predetermined amount of time.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in the optical property of the sample is measured after an inhibitor of a Limulus amebocyte lysate reaction is added to the sample.