Quantitative Detection of Pathogen Load via a Rapid, Small Fluid Volume Diagnostic (SFVD) Device, using 0.03 -- 0.3mL of Fluids, vs Colony Forming Units (CFU) counting: InnovaBug

ORAL

Abstract

30{\%} of Blood Cultures for Pathogen detection (BCP) yield false positives, leading the US to spend more than 6 billions dollars per year on non-existent infections. On top, BCP uses large blood volumes, 10-30 mL and BCP causes a 74{\%} rate of Hospital-Acquired Anemia with daylong waits for results. InnovaBug is a new Small Fluid Volume Diagnostic (SFVD) device for rapid accurate, portable, low-cost pathogen detection in minutes. InnovaBug uses only 0.03-- 0.3 mL of fluid spread on a macroscopic region of a slide coated with a benign \textit{hyper-hydrophilic} film, called FluoFilm. FluoFilm contains a safe fluorescent nucleic acid dye, so that RNA/DNA from pathogens fluoresce at a macroscopic scale. The ratio R of RNA and DNA macroscopic fluorescence over the excitation intensity is measured via Color analysis on inexpensive SmartPhone images, and yields a rapid pathogen count comparable to Colony Forming Units (CFUs) counts in blood cultures. CFUs computed via R are tested quantitatively using UVC sterilization of calibrated pathogens such as LactoB and E.Coli. R decreases by 60-80{\%} after UVC sterilization and correlates well with CFUs from cultures

Authors

  • Vishesh Amin

    SiO2 Innovates/Arizona State U, U. of Southern CA, U. Southern California/SiO2 Innovates, MicroDrop Diagnostics LLC

  • Viraj Amin

    SiO2 Innovates

  • Riley Rane

    SiO2 Innovates LLC, SiO2 Innovates, MicroDrop Diagnostics LLC

  • Karishma Sivakumar

    SiO2 Innovates

  • Tanvi Sathish

    SiO2 Innovates LLC, SiO2 Innovates, MicroDrop Diagnostics LLC

  • Vidya Desai

    SiO2 Innovates

  • Eric J Culbertson

    Arizona State U., SiO2 Innovates, MicroDrop Diagnostics LLC

  • Robert J. Culbertson

    Arizona State U. Physics, Arizona State U., Arizona State University

  • Nicole Herbots

    SiO2 Innovates