title: A Low Cost/Low Power Open Source Sensor System for Automated Tuberculosis Drug Susceptibility Testing.
abstract: In this research an open source, low power sensor node was developed to check the growth of mycobacteria in a culture bottle with a nitrate reductase assay method for a drug susceptibility test. The sensor system reports the temperature and color sensor output frequency change of the culture bottle when the device is triggered. After the culture process is finished, a nitrite ion detecting solution based on a commercial nitrite ion detection kit is injected into the culture bottle by a syringe pump to check bacterial growth by the formation of a pigment by the reaction between the solution and the color sensor. Sensor status and NRA results are broadcasted via a Bluetooth low energy beacon. An Android application was developed to collect the broadcasted data, classify the status of cultured samples from multiple devices, and visualize the data for the end users, circumventing the need to examine each culture bottle manually during a long culture period. The authors expect that usage of the developed sensor will decrease the cost and required labor for handling large amounts of patient samples in local health centers in developing countries. All 3D-printerable hardware parts, a circuit diagram, and software are available online.
authors.affiliation: Urban Robotics Laboratory, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea. kkim0214@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kyukwang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea. hkkim1227@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyeong Keun
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea. wjuni@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hwijoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Urban Robotics Laboratory, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea. hmyung@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Myung
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D050901:Nitrate Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D050901:Nitrate Reductase
keywords: 3D-printer; Bluetooth low energy beacon; drug susceptibility test; low cost; low power; mycobacteria; nitrate reductase assay; sensor node