Prototyping and validation of a device to rapidly detect microorganisms for monitoring surface hygiene in the healthcare environment

To support initiatives across the NHS to prevent healthcare-associated infections and the transmission of dangerous antimicrobial resistant pathogens, Eluceda Limited in collaboration with Infection Prevention and Control experts at the University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, aim to advance the development and validation of a novel device which allows pathogenic bacteria to be identified and microbial load quantified in the hospital and healthcare environment, providing essential knowledge about microbial contamination to facilitate short-term remedial actions and long-term hospital hygiene improvement plans.

The technology is based on state-of-the-art detection techniques that enable the analysis of multiple pre-specified microorganisms simultaneously from a single swab of a high-frequency touch surface within the hospital environment, healthcare workers hands or instruments. The innovative solution, consisting of a simple to use cartridge and hand-held reader, will be an automated test for low-cost and rapid evaluation of environmental contamination in a standardised format, with the ability to simultaneously identify key pathogens responsible for most healthcare-associated infections, including _Clostridium difficile_, _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_ and _Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli and_ Methicillin-resistant _Staphylococcus aureus_ (MRSA).

As an environmental monitoring and quality control test with supporting database and analytics, hospital infection prevention and control teams and professional cleaning service providers will be able to monitor the effectiveness of disinfection products and cleaning regimes for compliance, investigate outbreaks, improve hygiene standards and test the efficacy of new interventions to improve patient safety and resource efficiency.