CountThings By Camera

 

    Hence many laboratory managers have given attention to automated, digital devices to streamline the plate counting processes. Such devices have been commonplace to the clinical laboratory for some time; although adoption within pharmaceutical laboratories has been slower. Recent regulatory interest in data integrity and the economic pressures driving the ‘lean’ laboratory, with a focus on cost control, improving sample throughput, and reviewing whether each sample tested adds value or produces meaningful information (2), may account for the growing interest from the pharmaceutical sector.     The colony counting problem can be easily solved by using the "CountThings By Camera" mobile app. You only need to take a photo, click to identify, and the whole process can be automatically completed, and the accuracy can also be adjusted. You can download it at google play named "CountThings By Camera"

      Many microbiological tests depend on an accurate count of bacterial and fungal colonies. The process of enumeration is, for the busy laboratory, a relatively slow, tedious task. Moreover, it is not always reliable and open to variations (‘error’) in terms of accurate counting and the counts recorded between different technicians. The counting of colonies relies upon the ability of the technician to 'see' colonies. The extent to which colonies are clear and countable is a product of microbial growth, in addition to the quality of the growth media and the incubation conditions to which the plate has been subject to (time and temperature are the key parameters) (1). Idealized incubation will lead to the formation of colonies that are readily discernible by their improved size, shape, distribution and contrast. This is, in practice, not always the case. Moreover, the method by which the sample was captured can have a bearing on the result. Here, for example, many enviro...