Polydisperse emulsion digital assay to enhance time to detection and extend dynamic range in bacterial cultures enabled by a statistical framework.

摘要: Microbiological culture remains the most sensitive method for detecting viable and infectious bacteria, but these methods often require at least 24 hours to visibly identify bacterial growth. Lab-on-a-chip applications have utilized isolate bacteria in picoliter-sized reaction vessels, resulting digitized signals that offer improved time-to-detection quantification. Although a great improvement, approaches typically expensive specialized equipment, trained laboratory personnel, maximum addressable volumes can be orders of magnitude less than needed clinically relevant limits detection. To address limitations, we developed simple preparing semi-quantitatively analyzing small-volume droplets performing digital culture, allowing detection bacteria. This work includes description method, characterization droplet sizes, comparison traditional statistical framework quantify results. Though polydisperse, size distribution was consistent over different experiments, there correlation between observed number positive bulk concentration serve as calibration curve samples with unknown distributions. enables simplification preparation allows accurate quantification even polydisperse sizes. The application this also extended variety settings or complex samples.