Limulus

Amebocyte Lysate Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, or LAL, is a biological extract derived from the blood of horseshoe crabs. It is a highly sensitive and specific method of detecting bacterial toxins, and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as a form of quality assurance for the production of injectable drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. LAL detects the presence of Gram-negative bacteria by detecting their endotoxins, which are components of the cell wall of the bacteria, and can be used to rapidly detect medical contamination. LAL is also used to detect contamination in food and water, to control the quality of medical products, and to detect viruses, fungi and parasites. In addition, LAL is a critical component of many medical tests, such as the complement fixation test and the chromogenic LAL test.