Nonionic Surfactant Hemolysis Reagent for Viable Bacteria Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bacterial identification methods using anionic surfactants for hemolysis and lysis in clinical microbiology tests often kill bacteria, making it difficult to apply these methods to drug susceptibility testing, which requires live bacteria, thereby limiting the overall speed of bacterial testing.
Innovation Solution
A hemolysis reagent comprising a nonionic surfactant, such as polyoxyethylene (POE) alkyl ether, is used for bacterial identification and drug susceptibility testing, allowing for hemolysis without killing the bacteria, thereby enabling rapid diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If anionic surfactants are used for hemolysis and lysis in bacterial identification, then hemolysis efficiency is improved, but bacteria are killed making drug susceptibility testing impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical nature of the surfactant from anionic to nonionic, fundamentally altering the mechanism of action. Nonionic surfactants achieve hemolysis through different physical-chemical mechanisms that are less detrimental to bacterial cell integrity, allowing bacteria to remain viable after hemolysis treatment. This parameter change enables both efficient hemolysis and preservation of bacterial viability for subsequent drug susceptibility testing.
2Loss of time
If conventional hemolysis methods are applied to speed up bacterial identification, then identification speed is improved, but the method cannot be used for drug susceptibility testing requiring live bacteria
Solution Approach 1:
The nonionic surfactant-based hemolysis reagent is designed to serve multiple functions: it efficiently performs hemolysis for rapid bacterial identification while simultaneously preserving bacterial viability to enable subsequent drug susceptibility testing. This multi-functional reagent eliminates the need for separate processing pathways for different test types, allowing a single pretreatment method to support both identification and susceptibility testing workflows.
3Measurement precision
If anionic surfactants are used for rapid bacterial identification, then identification accuracy is maintained, but overall test workflow is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The nonionic surfactant performs preliminary hemolysis action that removes interfering blood components while deliberately preserving bacterial cells in a viable state. This preliminary treatment prepares the sample for both immediate identification analysis and subsequent drug susceptibility testing, eliminating the need for separate pretreatment steps and accelerating the overall test workflow without compromising identification accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The nonionic surfactant-based hemolysis reagent allows for bacterial identification and drug susceptibility testing in a single process, ensuring that bacteria remain viable, thereby enhancing the speed and accuracy of clinical microbiology tests.
Implementation Method 1
using a certain nonionic surfactant as a hemolytic agent allows hemolytic treatment without killing the bacteria
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention mainly aims to provide a reagent that can be used for identification of bacterial species in the same way as known hemolysis reagents (e.g., Lysis buffer), and besides the reagent can also be used for drug susceptibility testing by allowing the hemolysis process without killing the bacteria.The invention can include, for example, a hemolysis reagent for use in a pretreatment for a clinical microbiological test, comprising a nonionic surfactant, wherein the test comprises a bacterial identification test or a drug susceptibility test.