Dr Andrew Kemp PhD, principal scientific officer at Q Technologies group, University of Lincoln, believes Bacteria Specific Rapid Metabolic Assay (BSRMA) could take us a step closer to a new era in bacterial detection.
Culture media and techniques have remained almost unchanged in over 100 years and in 2018 the question has to be asked: “Is it fit for the purposes we are using it for?” The increasing availability of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to identify species has increased the speed in which we get a result, but it is still difficult to be accurate about numbers from all species.
There are tests available that count the total amount of Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP), however, there has yet to be found a correlation between total ATP and bacterial ATP, as such this type of test can be considered of no clinical value.1,2
Bacteria Specific Rapid Metabolic Assay (BSRMA) was developed as a battlefield test for biological weapons, and was only recently adapted for use outside the military environment. Results using this newly available test on surfaces, skin and in urine have been incredibly revealing.1,3,4,5,6
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