Improved Flocked Swabs Deliver High Nucleic Acid Yield

Specially treated flocked swabs produce a maximum yield of nucleic acid even when only minute quantities are present in a sample.

FLOQSwabs comprise of a solid molded plastic applicator shaft with a tip that can vary in size and shape. The tip of the applicator is coated with short nylon fibers that are arranged in a perpendicular fashion. This arrangement results from a process called flocking, where the fibers are sprayed onto the tip of the swab, while it is held in an electrostatic field. This process creates a highly absorbent thin layer with an open structure.

With no internal absorbent core to disperse and entrap the specimen–the entire sample stays close to the surface for fast and efficient elution. The nylon fibers act like a soft brush, which facilitates improved collection of cellular material. Capillary action between the fiber strands facilitates strong hydraulic uptake of liquid sample, and the sample stays close to the surface allowing easy elution.

A product of Copan (Murrieta, CA, USA), FLOQSwabs deliver almost the entire sample, and improve the detection and diagnosis of infectious disease agents. However, nucleic acid has a tendency to be sticky and some residue can still attach to swab fibers. This risk is eliminated with Copan's latest discovery in fiber treatment for flocked swabs.

The high nucleic acid yield FLOQSwabs now deliver is much as 1 log more nucleic acid, the equivalent of 3 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycles less for detection. This improvement is another milestone in the evolution of flocked swab technology and ensures the maximum sensitivity of assay.

Copan is a leading manufacturer of bacteriology swabs, viral transport media (VTM), and molecular systems. With a reputation for new developments in preanalytics, Copan is also a pioneering manufacturer of collection and transport systems. The company offers a complete range of microbial sampling products used for traditional culture analysis and molecular diagnostic assays.

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