Remel™ 10% Bile Solubility Reagent

Identify and differentiate Streptococcus pneumoniae from other alpha-hemolytic streptococci with Thermo Scientific™ Remel™ 10% Bile Solubility Reagent.In 1900 Neufeld used sodium desoxycholate to detect autolysis which can be used to differentiate bile-soluble S. pneumoniae from bile-insoluble, alpha-hemolytic streptococci1. Downie et al. used 10% bile salt solution to lyse broth cultures of pneumococci2. The 10% reagent can provide more rapid reactions and has been reported to provide reliable results with the tube as well as the spot test methods3-5.

Ready to use: liquid reagent.Rapid Test: results in 30 minutes (Spot test) to 3 hours (Tube test).Easy to interpret:Tube test: Positive test: test suspension clears within 3 hours; control suspension remains turbid.Negative test: test and control suspension remain turbid.Spot test:Positive test: colony disintegrates or dissolves within 30 minutes.Negative test: colony remains intact.S. pneumoniae possess an autolytic enzyme that lyses the organism's own cell wall during cell division. This autolytic intracellular enzyme causes the organism to undergo rapid autolysis when cultivated on artificial medium6. The bile solubility test is based on the observation that S. pneumoniae cells visibly lyse when 10% sodium desoxycholate is applied, while other alpha-hemolytic streptococci do not. The mechanism for bile solubility is believed to result from bile salts lowering the surface tension at the medium-membrane interface, making it susceptible to disruption by certain chemical agents.10% Bile Solubility Reagent contains 10% w/v Sodium Desoxycholate, Tincture Thimerosal, Ethyl Alcohol and Dimineralized water.Not all products are available for sale in all territories. Please inquire.Remel™ and Oxoid™ products are now part of the Thermo Scientific brand.