Portable Device for Quick Detection of Viable Bacteria in Water

(1) Background: Access to clean water is a very important factor for human life. However, pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water often cause diseases, and convenient/inexpensive testing methods are urgently needed. (2) Methods: The reagent contains 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetra...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yu-Hsiang Liao, Karthickraj Muthuramalingam, Kuo-Hao Tung, Ho-Hsien Chuan, Ko-Yuan Liang, Chen-Peng Hsu, Chao-Min Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
Series:Micromachines
Subjects:
MTT
PMS
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/11/12/1079
Description
Summary:(1) Background: Access to clean water is a very important factor for human life. However, pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water often cause diseases, and convenient/inexpensive testing methods are urgently needed. (2) Methods: The reagent contains 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and phenazine methosulfate (PMS) and can react with succinate dehydrogenase within bacterial cell membranes to produce visible purple crystals. The colorimetric change of the reagent after reaction can be measured by a sensor (AS7262). (3) Results: Compared with traditional methods, our device is simple to operate and can provide rapid (i.e., 5 min) semi-quantitative results regarding the concentration of bacteria within a test sample. (4) Conclusions: This easy-to-use device, which employs MTT-PMS reagents, can be regarded as a potential and portable tool for rapid water quality determination.
ISSN:2072-666X