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Standardization of isothermal microcalorimetry in urinary tract infection detection by using artificial urine

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Abstract

Purpose

Isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC) has recently been reported as a new method to rapidly detect urinary tract pathogens (UTP). However, further application of microcalorimetry in the clinical setting requires a standardized procedure. An important step toward such standardization is to use a reproducible growth medium. In this study, we investigated the potential of artificial urine in combination with microcalorimetry for detection of common UTP.

Methods

A microcalorimeter equipped with 48 channels was used. Detection was accomplished, and growth was monitored for four bacterial strains in artificial urine at 37 °C by measuring metabolic heat flow (μW = μJ/s) as a function of time. The strains were Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus.

Result

Bacterial growth was detected after 3–32 h with decreasing inoculums down to 1 CFU. The gram-negative strains grew and were detected faster than their gram-positive counterparts. The growth rates the different strains were 0.75 ± 0.11 for E. coli, 0.74 ± 0.10 for E. faecalis, 1.31 ± 0.04 for P. mirabilis, and 0.56 ± 0.20 for S. aureus. The shape of individual heat flow curves was characteristic for each species independent of its initial concentration.

Conclusions

IMC allows rapid detection of UTP in artificial urine. Clearly, different heat flow patterns enable accurate pathogen differentiation. UTP detection after only 4 h is realistic. The rapid detection of UTP tested in standardized artificial urine proves the diagnostic potential of IMC and warrants further microcalorimetric studies in the clinical setting of urinary tract infections.

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Conflict of interest

None of the contributing authors have any conflict of interest relevant to the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. No funding or other financial support was received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, University Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Gernot Bonkat, Olivier Braissant, Malte Rieken, Stephen Wyler, Thomas C. Gasser & Alexander Bachmann

  2. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Biocalorimetry (LOB2), Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, c/o Biozentrum-Pharmazentrum, Klingelbergstrasse 50-70, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Gernot Bonkat, Olivier Braissant & Anna Solokhina

  3. Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Andreas F. Widmer

  4. Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Reno Frei

  5. Department of Urology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa

    Andre van der Merwe

Authors
  1. Gernot Bonkat
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  2. Olivier Braissant
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  3. Malte Rieken
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  4. Anna Solokhina
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  5. Andreas F. Widmer
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  6. Reno Frei
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  7. Andre van der Merwe
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  8. Stephen Wyler
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  9. Thomas C. Gasser
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  10. Alexander Bachmann
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Correspondence to Gernot Bonkat.

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Bonkat, G., Braissant, O., Rieken, M. et al. Standardization of isothermal microcalorimetry in urinary tract infection detection by using artificial urine. World J Urol 31, 553–557 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-012-0913-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-012-0913-2

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