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Updated: May 8, 2026
A Microscopic Phenotypic Assay for the Quantification of Intracellular Mycobacteria Adapted for High-throughput/High-content Screening
Published on: January 17, 2014
Evaluation of a miniature microscope objective designed for fluorescence array microscopy detection of Mycobacterium
Brian McCall1, Randall J Olsen, Nicole J Nelles
1From the Departments of Bioengineering (Drs McCall, Richards-Kortum, and Tkaczyk and Mr Jackson) and Electrical Engineering (Drs Richards-Kortum and Tkaczyk), Rice University, Houston, Texas; and the Center for Molecular and Translational Infectious Disease Research, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, Texas (Drs Olsen, Nelles, Williams, and Graviss).
A new miniature microscope objective effectively detects acid-fast bacteria, showing higher bacterial counts and accurate diagnoses for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Area of Science:
- Microscopy
- Diagnostic Technology
- Bacteriology
Background:
- A prototype miniature objective for a point-of-care diagnostic array microscope was developed for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection.
- This study evaluates the effectiveness of the previously fabricated objective in identifying acid-fast bacteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the microscope's capability to resolve submicron features of acid-fast microorganisms.
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy using digital images from the prototype objective.
Main Methods:
- Lens prescription data and a test platform combining standard microscope parts, the prototype objective, and a DSLR camera are presented.
- Bacterial counts were compared between the prototype and a standard microscope.
- Pathologists diagnosed sputum smears using both microscopes, comparing results to a reference diagnosis.
Main Results:
- The prototype objective yielded higher bacterial counts in digital images compared to the standard microscope.
- Diagnostic results from the prototype objective showed high concordance with the reference diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- The miniature lens design enables an array microscope capable of detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- The developed microscope demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing tuberculosis.
