maxPIE: An innovative high throughput approach to enhance pathogen inactivation practices

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Public Health

Background:

• Assessing pathogen inactivation effectiveness (PIE) is crucial for public health.
• Existing methods are limited to specific conditions, hindering comprehensive evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-throughput method (maxPIE) for identifying maximal pathogen inactivation effectiveness across diverse conditions.
• To overcome limitations of conventional PIE assessment methods.

Main Methods:

• maxPIE utilizes massive array technologies and a three-step algorithm.
• Pathogens are diluted to different initial titers in array wells.
• Arrays undergo treatment, followed by scanning to determine maximal PIE.

Main Results:

• maxPIE demonstrated superior performance in inactivating S. aureus and E. coli using UV light and antibiotics.
• Effectiveness was validated across various conditions, including different wavelengths, durations, and in plasma.
• The method proved robust and outperformed conventional PIE assessment techniques.

Conclusions:

• maxPIE is an innovative, high-throughput approach for assessing pathogen inactivation effectiveness.
• It offers a robust and interpretable solution for enhancing pathogen inactivation practices in public health.
• The method can be widely adopted to improve safety and efficacy of inactivation treatments.