A new point-of-care test for the rapid antimicrobial susceptibility assessment of uropathogens.

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is considered a major issue worldwide. This condition may account for treatment failure of urinary tract infections, which are among the most common infections both in community and healthcare settings. Therapy against uropathogens is generally administered empirically, possibly leading to unsuccessful therapy, recurrence and development of antibiotic resistance. The reduction in analytical time to obtain antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results could play a key role in reducing the cost of healthcare, providing information about antibiotic efficacy and thus preventing from either exploiting new and expensive antibiotics unnecessarily or using obsolete and ineffective ones. A more rational choice among treatment options would hence lead to more effective treatment and faster resolution. In this paper we evaluated the performance of a new Point Of Care Test (POCT) for the rapid prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility in urine samples performed without the need of a laboratory or specialized technicians. 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in partnership with an Emergency Medicine ward and the Day Hospital of two large healthcare facilities in Rome. Antibiogram was carried out on 97 patients. Results from analysis of urine samples with the POCT were compared with those from routine AST performed on culture-positive samples, displaying high accuracy (>90%) for all tested antimicrobial drugs and yielding reliable results in less than 12 hours from urine collection thus reducing analytical and management costs.

Application of the Micro Biological Survey analytical method for the determination of bacterial load in cow raw milk.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of "Micro Biological Survey - MBS Test" in the enumeration of bacterial load in cow raw milk. The MBS test is based on a colorimetric method recently developed and patented by "Roma Tre" University, Italy. The evaluation of the performance of the MBS method was carried out by comparison with plate count at 30°C (gold standard) and flow cytometry. Thirteen independent set of experiments were performed analyzing a total of 104 samples of cow raw milk with the selected methods. Results obtained using the MBS method are comparable with those obtained with the plate count method at 30°C (CFU/mL) and flow cytometry technology; in particular, the results obtained with the MBS method are very close to plate count's at 30°C. On the other hand, there are statistically significant differences between these two methods' and flow cytometry technology's results that could be due to the different experimental conditions.

Microbiological Quality of Ready-to-Eat Leafy Green Salads during Shelf-Life and Home-Refrigeration.

The market of ready-to-eat leafy green salads is experiencing a noticeable growth in Europe. Since they are intended to be consumed without additional treatments, these ready-to-eat products are associated with a high microbiological risk. The aim of this work was to evaluate the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat leafy green salads sold in widespread supermarket chains in Lazio, Italy, on the packaging date during shelf-life and during home-refrigeration. The study also aimed to determine the differences between low-, medium-, and high-cost products. Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were chosen as safety indicators as specified by European regulations while total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Escherichia coli were chosen as quality indicators as suggested by national guidelines. Analyses were performed following the ISO standards and in parallel for the evaluation of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, with an alternative colorimetric system, the Micro Biological Survey method, in order to propose a simple, affordable and accurate alternative for testing the microbiological quality of products, especially suitable for small and medium enterprises and on-site analyses. The study revealed high, unsatisfactory, total bacterial loads in all analyzed samples on the packaging date and expiry date and a very high prevalence of Salmonella spp. (67%) regardless of the selected varieties and cost categories; L. monocytogenes was not recovered aligning with the results obtained in other studies.

Rapid Microbiological Assessment in Raw Milk: Validation of a Rapid Alternative Method for the Assessment of Microbiological Quality in Raw Milk.

The consumption of dairy products and the dairy industry are one of the main global agri-food sectors for its size, economic importance, and level of technology. Microbiological quality of pasteurized milk or other milk products is dependent on microbiological quality of raw milk. A variety of microbiological count methods is available for monitoring the hygienic quality of raw milk. Among them, the pour plate method is the official essay for counting the number of colony-forming units in milk samples according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) No. 4833-1:2013. The aim of the present study is the validation of the Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method, against the reference plate-count method, for the assessment of the microbiological quality of raw milk. This comparative study, performed in collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana M. Aleandri (IZSLT), demonstrates the accuracy of this alternative method for the determination of total viable bacterial count in cow's raw milk. The results obtained with the MBS method highlight its potential as a valid tool for reliable microbiological analysis in dairy industries.

A new point-of-care test for the rapid detection of urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections in all age groups. Fast and accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure a timely and effective therapy. Alongside with reference culture-based methods, several point-of-care tests (POCTs) for early detection of UTIs have been developed, but they have not been significantly implemented in current clinical practice. The Micro Biological Survey (MBS) POCT is a simple test developed by MBS Diagnostics Ltd. (London, UK) for the detection and management of UTIs. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the potentials and limits of the MBS POCT. A total of 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in collaboration with an Emergency Medicine department and the outpatient clinic of two hospitals in Rome. Results of urine analysis using the MBS POCT were compared with those of the routine culture-based tests for UTI diagnosis performed by the hospital laboratory. The MBS POCT provided fast results revealing high bacterial count UTIs (≥ 105 CFU/ml) with 97% accuracy, 92% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 99% PPV, and 96% NPV within a 5-h analytical time threshold.

Field application of the Micro Biological Survey method for the assessment of the microbiological safety of different water sources in Tanzania.

Access to safe water is stated within human rights as essential for life, as water can be a source of severe enteric infections threatening human health, in particular children from Developing Countries. Along with reference methods, need is pressing for alternative methods to flank reference ones to improve water safety on-site monitoring and in the absence of scientific facilities or even electricity supply. The Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method has already been successfully applied to water safety assessment in Developing Countries. A total of 18 water samples were collected from different sources (rivers, dug wells, tap water) within the Rukwa Region, Tanzania, and underwent analysis for Total Coliforms following the MBS method. Globally, rivers showed more frequently contamination, followed by dug wells, tap water and tanks. Results demonstrate the need for continuous monitoring of water sources, even in difficult frameworks lacking electric supply, to help improve control over water quality, possibly using alternative methods to simplify existing protocols.

Field Application of the Micro Biological Survey Method for the Assessment of the Microbiological Safety of Different Water Sources in Horn of Africa and the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Moringa Oleifera in Drinking Water Purification.

Water monitoring requires expensive instrumentations and skilled technicians. In developing Countries as Africa, the severe economic restrictions and lack of technology make water safety monitoring approaches applied in developed Countries, still not sustainable. The need to develop new methods that are suitable, affordable, and sustainable in the African context is urgent. The simple, economic and rapid Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method does not require an equipped laboratory nor special instruments and skilled technicians, but it can be very useful for routine water analysis. The aim of this work was the application of the MBS method to evaluate the microbiological safety of different water sources and the effectiveness of different drinking water treatments in the Horn of Africa. The obtained results have proved that this method could be very helpful to monitor water safety before and after various purification treatments, with the aim to control waterborne diseases especially in developing Countries, whose population is the most exposed to these diseases. In addition, it has been proved that Moringa oleifera water treatment is ineffective in decreasing bacterial load of Eritrea water samples.