Antimicrobial susceptibility testing device and method for use with portable electronic device

A method of performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) on a bacteria-containing sample using an opto-mechanical reader device configured to mount on a mobile phone having a camera comprising:

• securing the opto-mechanical reader device to the mobile phone, the opto-mechanical reader device comprising:
• a housing including an array of illumination sources;
• a slot or opening dimensioned to receive an optically transparent plate having an array of wells;
• a base plate disposed within the housing and defining a bottom surface of the slot or opening that receives the optically transparent plate;
• a plurality of optical fibers having first ends secured to the base plate and arranged in an input array having a first cross-sectional area and second ends mounted to a header and arranged in an output array having a second cross-sectional area that is at least ten times less than the first cross-sectional area, each fiber arranged to transmit light from one of the wells to the camera to generate a plurality of images, wherein the housing comprises an optical window or second opening disposed with respect to the camera to receive light from the output array;
• loading the optically transparent plate having an array of wells containing the bacteria-containing sample, growth medium, and a panel of drugs of differing concentrations into the opto-mechanical reader device;
• illuminating the wells in the optically transparent plate using the array of illumination sources;
• acquiring a plurality of images of the wells with the camera of the mobile phone, wherein the plurality of images represent light transmittance through the wells captured by the camera at different camera exposure times;
• transmitting the plurality of images to a separate computing device;
• processing the plurality of transmitted images with image processing software executed by at least one processor in the separate computing device to generate normalized light transmittance values for each well based on the plurality of images of the wells obtained at the plurality of different camera exposure times and classify each well as turbid or not turbid based on a transmittance threshold assigned to each particular well in the array of wells and which constitutes a turbidity classification and generating MIC values and a susceptibility characterization for each drug in the panel based on the turbidity classification of the array of wells;
• and
• transmitting the MIC values and the susceptibility characterizations for each drug in the panel from the separate computing device to the mobile phone or another computing device for display thereon.

A method of performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) on a bacteria-containing sample using an opto-mechanical reader device configured to mount on a mobile phone comprising:

• securing the opto-mechanical reader device to the mobile phone, the opto-mechanical reader device comprising:
• a housing including an array illumination sources;
• a slot or opening dimensioned to receive an optically transparent plate having an array of wells;
• a base plate disposed within the housing and defining a bottom surface of the slot or opening that receives the optically transparent plate;
• a plurality of optical fibers having first ends secured to the base plate and arranged in an input array having a first cross-sectional area and second ends mounted to a header and arranged in an output array having a second cross-sectional area that is at least ten times less than the first cross-sectional area, each fiber arranged to transmit light from one of the wells to the camera to generate a plurality of images, wherein the housing comprises an optical window or second opening disposed with respect to the camera to receive light from the output array;
• loading into the opto-mechanical reader device the optically transparent plate having an array of wells containing the bacteria-containing sample, growth medium, and a panel of drugs of differing concentrations;
• illuminating the wells in the optically transparent plate using an array of illumination sources contained in the opto-mechanical reader device;
• acquiring a plurality of images of the wells with the camera of the mobile phone, wherein the plurality of images represent light transmittance through the wells captured by the camera at different camera exposure times;
• processing the plurality of transmitted images in the mobile phone to generate normalized light transmittance values for each well based on the plurality of images of the wells obtained at the plurality of different camera exposure times and classify each well as turbid or not turbid based on a transmittance threshold assigned to each particular well in the array of wells and which constitutes a turbidity classification and generating MIC values and a susceptibility characterization for each drug in the panel based on the turbidity classification of the array of wells;
• and
• displaying MIC values and the susceptibility characterizations for each drug in the panel on the mobile phone.

A system for performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) on a bacteria-containing sample comprising:

• a portable electronic device having a camera;
• an optically transparent plate having an array of wells containing the bacteria-containing sample, growth medium, and a panel of drugs of differing concentrations into the opto-mechanical reader device;
• an opto-mechanical reader device configured to mount on the portable electronic device and including a housing having a slot or opening and a base plate defining a bottom surface of the slot or opening that receives the optically transparent plate, the opto-mechanical reader device having a plurality of illumination sources contained in the opto-mechanical reader device and configured to illuminate the array of wells, the opto-mechanical reader device further comprising a plurality of optical fibers having first ends secured to the base plate and arranged in an input array having a first cross-sectional area and second ends mounted to a header and arranged in an output array having a second cross-sectional area that is at least ten times less than the first cross-sectional area, each fiber arranged to transmit light from one of the wells to the camera to generate one or more images, wherein the housing comprises an optical window or second opening disposed with respect to the camera to receive light from the output array;
• and
• image processing software contained in the portable electronic device that is executable by at least one processor to process the one or more images and classify each well as turbid or not turbid based on a transmittance threshold assigned to each particular well in the array of wells and which constitutes a turbidity classification and generating MIC values and a susceptibility characterization for each drug in the panel based on the turbidity classification of the array of wells.