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.

中文翻译：

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基于盒式计数平台的完全集成的细菌病原体检测系统，用于快速，超灵敏，高精度和无培养物测定。

快速，灵敏和准确的即时检测点（POCT）可以检测各种样品中细菌的含量，有助于预防由病原菌引起的人类感染并减轻其传播。但是，对于可检测原始样品中极低浓度细菌的POCT设备存在未满足的需求。在此，我们介绍了一种“碳粉盒计数”（COC）平台，用于定量食源性致病菌金黄色葡萄球菌。该系统由磁选机，传感盒和带有内置计数算法的荧光图像读取器组成，可在几小时内以用户方便的方式以高灵敏度和高精度为用户提供便利的荧光显微镜细菌计数。该测定法的分析性能与标准板数相当。根据金黄色葡萄球菌的全球微生物学标准，COC分析显示灵敏度为92.9％，特异性为100％，在食品基质中低于100 CFU / g可接受。这种与培养无关的，快速，超灵敏和高精度的COC测定法在对细菌进行快速监测的地方具有巨大的潜力。