Handheld MRSA detection

A UK collaboration is attempting to develop a hand-held system to detect the hospital superbugs C. difficile and MRSA.

The effort includes participation from Universal Sensors, Nottingham Trent University and Cambridge Design Partnership.

The control of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) and improving the cleanliness of hospitals are primary objectives for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

Systematic processes for cleaning are vital to control HCAIs, but it is difficult to ensure that an area decontaminated by cleaning after an outbreak is free from live bacteria or C. difficile spores.

The collaboration believes this is because of a lack of quick and simple environmental tests.

The team is working to create an environmental testing device to make this process fast and simple to perform, for use in hospitals and in the wider community.