title: Bacterial culture detection and identification in blood agar plates with an optoelectronic nose.
abstract: Clinical microbiology automation is currently limited by the lack of an in-plate culture identification system. Using an inexpensive, printed, disposable colorimetric sensor array (CSA) responsive to the volatiles emitted into plate headspace by microorganisms during growth, we report here that not only the presence but the species of bacteria growing in plate was identified before colonies are visible. In 1894 trials, 15 pathogenic bacterial species cultured on blood agar were identified with 91.0% sensitivity and 99.4% specificity within 3 hours of detection. The results indicate CSAs integrated into Petri dish lids present a novel paradigm to speciate microorganisms, well-suited to integration into automated plate handling systems.
authors.affiliation: Specific Technologies, Mountain View, California 94043, USA. slim@specifictechnologies.net.
authors.forename: Sung H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mix
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anikst
authors.forename: Indre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Budvytiene
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eiden
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Churi
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Queralto
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berliner
authors.forename: Raymond A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Niaz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Banaei
mesh_terms: D062609:Electronic Nose; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds