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.
Highlights
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a rod-shaped bacterium with an acid-fast property, is a well-known cause of tuberculosis, a disease generally transmitted by aerial infection and notorious for its highly contagious properties and associated mortality [1]
The diagnosis methods focus on antibiotic drugs for tuberculosis treatment, and the diagnosis can be directly linked to a prescription and treatment
M. smegmatis can generate a red pigment during the nitrate reductase assay if cultured with the nitrate ion, mimicking the role of the M. tuberculosis during the drug susceptibility tests (DST) with NRA
Summary
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a rod-shaped bacterium with an acid-fast property, is a well-known cause of tuberculosis, a disease generally transmitted by aerial infection and notorious for its highly contagious properties and associated mortality [1]. Estimates that including patients and carriers about one-third of the world population is infected [2]. The appearance of multi-drug resistance bacteria due to the abuse of antibiotics and the observation of fatal complications in AIDS patients have made early diagnosis of tuberculosis more important [4]. Many methods including ZN-stained sputum smear microscopic imaging [5], culture [6], molecular diagnosis methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [7], and immunological methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) [8] have been developed. The diagnosis methods focus on antibiotic drugs for tuberculosis treatment, and the diagnosis can be directly linked to a prescription and treatment.
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