For the timely treatment of patients with infections in bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid, a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) is urgently needed. Here, we describe a direct and rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (dRAST) system, which can determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria from a positive blood culture bottle (PBCB) in six hours. The positive blood culture sample is directly mixed with agarose and inoculated into a micropatterned plastic microchip with lyophilized antibiotic agents. Using microscopic detection of bacterial colony formation in agarose, the total time to result from a PBCB for dRAST was only six hours for a wide range of bacterial concentrations in PBCBs. The results from the dRAST system were consistent with the results from a standard AST, broth microdilution test. In tests of clinical isolates (n = 206) composed of 16 Gram-negative species and seven Gram-positive species, the dRAST system was accurate compared to the standard broth microdilution test, with rates of 91.11% (2613/2868) categorical agreement, 6.69% (192/2868) minor error, 2.72% (50/1837) major error and 1.45% (13/896) very major error. Thus, the dRAST system can be used to rapidly identify appropriate antimicrobial agents for the treatment of blood stream infection (BSI) and antibiotic-resistant strain infections.

The importance of storing, transporting, and managing biospecimens for analysis and research has increased. Biospecimens, such as DNA and cells, have a volume of several micrometers or less for practical storage, management, and usage, and high space efficiency can be achieved if stored in an appropriate indexed container. However, although previous studies have highlighted the importance of small‐volume biospecimens, containers suitable for easily handling microscale samples and space‐saving storage are lacking. Here, easy‐to‐use and space‐saving biospecimen storage with ampoule‐like microvolume containers and transparent codes are introduced. The high‐durability epoxy‐based containers are suitable for storing and using microscale biospecimens, and protecting internal biospecimens from the external environment. To identify the biospecimens, microsized transparent QR codes on microparticles for indexing sample information and storage conditions are fabricated via optofluidic maskless lithography, enabling on‐demand fabrication. Both the microsized QR code and microvolume container are highly transparent, making the observation of even minimal volumes of internal material convenient. Similar to an ampoule, the microvolume container can be broken with a needle or blade to release the biospecimen. The storage efficiency of the container is verified by storing and releasing DNA, antibiotics, and cells. This container will save space for biospecimens in biobank systems.

No abstract

A high-throughput, accurate screening is crucial for the prevention and control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Current methods, which involve sampling from the nasopharyngeal (NP) area by medical staffs, constitute a fundamental bottleneck in expanding the testing capacity. To meet the scales required for population-level surveillance, self-collectable specimens can be used; however, its low viral load has hindered its clinical adoption. Here, we describe a magnetic nanoparticle functionalized with synthetic apolipoprotein H (ApoH) peptides to capture, concentrate, and purify viruses. The ApoH assay demonstrates a viral enrichment efficiency of >90% for both SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, leading to an order of magnitude improvement in analytical sensitivity. For validation, we apply the assay to a total of 84 clinical specimens including nasal, oral, and mouth gargles obtained from COVID-19 patients. As a result, a 100% positivity rate is achieved from the patient-collected nasal and gargle samples, which exceeds that of the traditional NP swab method. The simple 12 min pre-enrichment assay enabling the use of self-collectable samples will be a practical solution to overcome the overwhelming diagnostic capacity. Furthermore, the methodology can easily be built on various clinical protocols, allowing its broad applicability to various disease diagnoses.