Dilution Reduces Sample Matrix Effects for Rapid, Direct, and Miniaturised Phenotypic Antibiotic Susceptibility Tests for Bovine Mastitis.

The time-consuming nature of current methods for detecting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to guide mastitis treatment and for surveillance, drives innovation towards faster, easier, and more portable technology. Rapid on-farm testing could guide antibiotic selection, reducing misuse that contributes to resistance. We identify challenges that arise when developing miniaturized antibiotic susceptibility tests (AST) for rapid on-farm use directly in milk.

PiRamid: A compact Raspberry Pi imaging box to automate small-scale time-lapse digital analysis, suitable for laboratory and field use.

Digital imaging permits the quantitation of many experiments, such as microbiological growth assays, but laboratory digital imaging systems can be expensive and too specialised. The Raspberry Pi camera platform makes automated, controlled imaging affordable with accessible customisation. When combined with open source software and open-source 3D printed hardware, the control over image quality and capture of this platform permits the rapid development of novel instrumentation.