Expand Your Lab Service Business with Rapid and Quantitative Microbiology Tests

Testing water samples for specific bacteria, such as Legionella, has evolved little for more than 100 years. Most water microbiology labs still rely on the cultivation method to detect the presence or absence of cells and to estimate their concentration in a sample. The limitation of the cultivation method is defined by biology. The growth of bacteria on agar plates is both slow and highly variable. Water microbiology labs that seek to overcome this limitation and provide their customers with rapid and accurate results need to look beyond the cultivation method.

rqmicro introduces a novel method for the specific detection of bacteria in water based on single-cell counting of viable cells. The rqmicro.COUNT instrument is deployable on-site and also integrates well into a typical water laboratory. The technology is based on the immunomagnetic separation of target cells and single-cell counting of viable cells using flow cytometry. In the case of Legionella, rqmicro.COUNT provides quantitative results in a total time from sample arrival to results provided in 2 hours.