A fully integrated bacterial pathogen detection system based on count-on-a-cartridge platform for rapid, ultrasensitive, highly accurate and culture-free assay

Rapid, sensitive and accurate point-of-care-testing (POCT) of bacterial load from a variety of samples can help prevent human infections caused by pathogenic bacteria and mitigate their spreading. However, there is an unmet demand for a POCT device that can detect extremely low concentrations of bacteria in raw samples. Herein, we introduce the 'count-on-a-cartridge' (COC) platform for quantitation of the food-borne pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The system comprised of magnetic concentrator, sensing cartridge and fluorescent image reader with a built-in counting algorithm facilitated fluorescent microscopic bacterial enumeration in user-convenient manner with high sensitivity and accuracy within a couple of hours. The analytical performance of this assay is comparable to that of a standard plate count. The COC assay shows a sensitivity of 92.9% and specificity of 100% performed according to global microbiological criteria for S. aureus which is acceptable below 100 CFU/g in the food matrix. This culture-independent, rapid, ultrasensitive and highly accurate COC assay has great potential for places where prompt bacteria surveillance is in high demand.