The overall goal of this SBIR project is to establish the technical feasibility for commercialization of a patent-pending sample preparation technology that concentrates and recovers microbial contaminants from appropriately scaled water samples. The proposed product is affordable, versatile, reusable, portable, and automated device with no moving parts, suitable for on-site or in-field sample preparation. Recovered eluents resulted from the sample preparation can be delivered into microscale tests. Phase I Specific aims are to evaluate the feasibility of developing a portable automated sample preparation device that can be scaled up to process larger volume samples, develop ready-to-use buffer concentrates for improving concentration and recovery of bacteria, and obtain a proof of concept for detecting low levels of bacterial contaminants, by combination of the proposed sample preparation device and rapid molecular test. In addition to outbreaks linked to recreational and drinking water, produce and food contaminations by pathogens from irrigation and other agricultural water are an increasing concern. Early detection and routine surveillance is of paramount importance for effective management of water or foodborne infectious diseases. However, current standard practices are time consuming, largely due to the requirement of extensive sample preparation. The proposed technology would be able to overcome major limitations of conventional sample preparation methods, enable detection of low levels of bacteria in different water or liquid sample types, and expand the widespread and meaningful use of rapid, portable detection platforms.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Project Narrative Early detection and routine surveillance is of paramount importance for effective management of water or foodborne infectious diseases. The proposed microbial concentration and recovery technology would significantly improve sample preparation techniques required for distributed environmental or food testing, thereby helping protect the public's health.
Project Terms: Adhesives; agricultural; Agriculture; Bacteria; Biological Assay; Assay; Bioassay; Biologic Assays; Buffers; Cells; Cell Body; Cessation of life; Death; Decontamination; Disease Outbreaks; Outbreaks; Disinfectants; Electrolyses; Electrolysis; Escherichia coli; E coli; E. coli; Food; Food Contamination; Contamination in food; Goals; Hawaii; Hospitalization; Hospital Admission; Immunoassay; Irrigation; Lavage; Nonvaginal irrigation; Nonvaginal lavage; irrigation therapy; lavage therapy; other than vaginal Douching; other than vaginal Irrigation; Methods; Modernization; Legal patent; Patents; Public Health; Recreation; Research; Risk; Salmonella typhimurium; S enterica serovar Typhimurium; S typhimurium; S. enterica Typhimurium; S. enterica serovar Typhimurium; S. typhimurium; Salmonella enterica Typhimurium; Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium; Technology; Testing; Time; United States; Universities; Water; Hydrogen Oxide; Work; Health Costs; Healthcare Costs; Health Care Costs; Device Designs; Mediating; Guidelines; improved; Nucleic Acid Testing; Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests; Site; Phase; Link; Chemicals; farmer; wasting; Recovery; Sample Size; Collaborations; Letters; fluid; liquid; Liquid substance; Hour; water sampling; microorganism; Techniques; Colony-forming units; Early Diagnosis; early detection; field study; field based data; field learning; field test; water quality; drinking water; microbial; Devices; Modeling; Sampling; Escherichia coli O157:H7; E coli O157:H7; E. coli O157:H7; O157 H7; O157H7; portability; Microbubbles; nonpathogenic Escherichia coli; non-pathogenic Escherichia coli; Food Safety; Detection; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Preparation; preparations; Molecular; Process; food-born infection; food-borne infection; foodborn infection; foodborne infectious disease; foodborne infection; scale up; pathogen; bacteria pathogen; bacterial pathogen; pathogenic bacteria; Consumption; water-born infection; water-borne infection; waterborn infection; waterborne infectious disease; waterborne infection; prototype; commercialization; safety testing; Phase I Study; phase 1 study; ED visit; ER visit; Emergency care visit; Emergency hospital visit; Emergency room visit; Emergency department visit; isothermal amplification; detection limit; detection system; detection platform; manufacture; commercial prototype; commercial grade prototype
