An imaging system and method provides automated microbial growth detection for antibiotic sensitivity testing. A processing system having an image sensor for capturing images of an inoculated culture plate having antibiotic disks disposed on the culture media captures images of the plate at separate times (e.g., first and second images). The system generates pixel characteristic data for pixels of the second image from a comparison of the first image and second image. The pixel characteristic data may be indicative of plate growth. The system may access growth modeling data concerning the antibiotic disk(s) and generate simulated image data with a growth model function. The growth model function uses the growth modeling data. The simulated image data simulates growth on the plate relative to the disk(s). The system compares the simulated image and the pixel characteristic data to identify pixel region(s) of the second image that differ from the simulated image.

An imaging system and method provides automated microbial growth detection for antibiotic sensitivity testing. A processing system having an image sensor for capturing images of an inoculated culture plate having antibiotic disks disposed on the culture media captures images of the plate at separate times (e.g., first and second images). The system generates pixel characteristic data for pixels of the second image from a comparison of the first image and second image. The pixel characteristic data may be indicative of plate growth. The system may access growth modeling data concerning the antibiotic disk(s) and generate simulated image data with a growth model function. The growth model function uses the growth modeling data. The simulated image data simulates growth on the plate relative to the disk(s). The system compares the simulated image and the pixel characteristic data to identify pixel region(s) of the second image that differ from the simulated image.

A new two-layer modified agar overlay cytotoxicity method for medical device safety assessment are developed. The new two layer modified agar overlay cytotoxicity method has equivalent sensitivity, and greater efficiency compared to the ISO/USP direct contact and agar overlay assays. Assays were carried out in 6-well microplates. Nutrient agar medium with a 0.5% agar concentration was used to provide a base nutrient layer to support cell growth, L929 cells mixed nutrient agar (0.33% agar) were seeded on top of the base agar and cytotoxicity was evaluated after 24 hours per USP. Results demonstrated the two layer modified agar overlay cytotoxicity assay performs as well as the ISO/USP direct contact method with distinct advantages. Results showed that this two layer modified agar overlay method is more promising as compared to the traditional agar overlay and direct contact methods due to the diluted soft agar, avoided potential mechanical damage from test materials, and represents a valuable tool to evaluate medical device cytotoxicity.

Disclosed are methods and systems for rapidly testing antimicrobial susceptibility, wherein the qualitative and quantitative susceptibility of an inoculated microorganism against an antimicrobial agent or a combination of antimicrobial agents is determined as a function of one or more slopes of linear trends of data of readouts.

Disclosed are methods and systems for rapidly testing antimicrobial susceptibility, wherein the qualitative and quantitative susceptibility of an inoculated microorganism against an antimicrobial agent or a combination of antimicrobial agents is determined as a function of one or more slopes of linear trends of data of readouts.

A device and a method are disclosed for collecting and culturing fish embryos and evaluating combined toxicity of thiamethoxam and tetraconazole. An embryo collection component and an embryo culture component are provided on a base plate. The embryo collection component includes a collection tray detachably connected to a bottom of a culture tube. The embryo culture component includes a cavity plate with a stopper inside and a top plate provided with a culture well. A bottom of the culture well is provided with a leakage hole; and after the top plate is installed into the cavity plate, the stopper occludes the leakage hole. The new device is used to carry out the combined toxicity effect test of thiamethoxam and tetraconazole on zebrafish embryos, which can be used to avoid development of pesticide mixtures that have a good preventive effect but pose increased toxicity risk to the ecological environment.

The use of metabolic probes is well-established for determining cell viability and assessing drug cytotoxicity. Resazurin-based formulations, in particular, have found utility for determining susceptibilities of microorganisms to antimicrobials, specifically through their use in antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). There is a strong need currently to shorten AST durations, thus resazurin formulations that produce signals earlier are advantageous. This need results from the slow state of clinical microbiology testing, which may leave patients exposed to unnecessary or ineffective broad-spectrum agents for prolonged periods of time. Another slow microbiology test is Gram staining, still most often performed manually in sequential steps. Speeding Gram typing, preferably with an automated platform, would also speed time-to-results and decrease manual workloads on medical technologists in clinical microbiology laboratories.

The use of metabolic probes is well-established for determining cell viability and assessing drug cytotoxicity. Resazurin-based formulations, in particular, have found utility for determining susceptibilities of microorganisms to antimicrobials, specifically through their use in antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). There is a strong need currently to shorten AST durations, thus resazurin formulations that produce signals earlier are advantageous. This need results from the slow state of clinical microbiology testing, which may leave patients exposed to unnecessary or ineffective broad-spectrum agents for prolonged periods of time. Another slow microbiology test is Gram staining, still most often performed manually in sequential steps. Speeding Gram typing, preferably with an automated platform, would also speed time-to-results and decrease manual workloads on medical technologists in clinical microbiology laboratories.

A method for detecting lactic acid and/or acetic acid bacteria in a food-processing matrix is taught, using microbial flora including a lactic acid and/or acetic acid bacterial flora and a fungal flora. The bacterial flora contains an adenosine triphosphate of bacterial origin, and the fungal flora contains an adenosine triphosphate of fungal origin. The method comprises applying, to the matrix, before a first time limit, an antifungal having an antifungal action which is lethal, on the fungal flora, and at a second time limit, an antibiotic action which is non lethal, at a second time limit after the first time limit, on the bacterial flora. The microbial flora is detected between the first time limit and the second time limit; the lethal antifungal action releases, into the matrix, for the first time limit, adenosine triphosphate of fungal origin and in which the microbial flora is detected between the first time limit and the second time limit.

The present invention provides, among other things, a master cartridge for effective storage and transportation of antimicrobials, the master cartridge comprising multiple reservoir units for placing a plurality of antimicrobials at high concentration from which multiple patient cartridges could be generated for testing a plurality of biological samples, and methods for using the same.