Micro Imaging Technology Adds Staphylococcus aureus to Its Catalog of Identifiers
SAN CLEMENTE, CA--(Marketwired - January 14, 2016) - Micro Imaging Technology, Inc. ("MIT") (MMTC) announced that its MIT 1000 System can now identify Staphylococcus aureus ("S. aureus"), a bacterial pathogen which can cause skin infections and commonly leads to abscess formation. S. aureus sometimes can also lead to pneumonia, endocarditis, and osteomyelitis. It is also a common food contaminant. "This is a significant step forward for the MIT 1000 technology," said Dr. David Haavig, Micro Imaging Technology's Chief Scientist. "The completion of this S. aureus Identifier, which gives the MIT 1000 System the ability to identify S. aureus, continues to demonstrate the sensitivity of this non-biological bacterial identification technology and adds to MIT's growing catalog of Identifiers. Adding S. aureus to our catalog of Identifier's, gets MIT one step closer to creating an Identifier for the superbug, Methicillin Resistant S. aureus also known as MRSA."
Completing this S. aureus Identifier is a significant milestone in the previously announced collaboration with the Northern Michigan University (NMU) Department of Biology. The goal of this collaboration is to rapidly and cost-effectively identify and differentiate the healthcare threats, S. aureus and MRSA, using the MIT 1000 System.
The MIT 1000 is a rapid, bacterial cell-based detection and identification system that can identify pathogenic bacteria, now including Staph aureus. In addition to this new Identifier, the MIT 1000 can also identify Listeria genus, Staphylococcusgenus, Salmonella enterica serotype Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) and Enterococcus faecalis. All MIT 1000 System bacterial identification tests consist of a simple, chemical-free, very low-cost, one-minute sample preparation procedure and a two-minute average hands-off sample measurement.
About: Staphylococcus aureus.
S. aureus is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin and hair as well as in the noses and throats of people and animals. These bacteria are present in up to 25 percent of healthy people and are even more common among those with skin, eye, nose, or throat infections. It is both a common clinical pathogen and a food contamination pathogen.
S. aureus can cause food poisoning when a food handler contaminates food and then the food is not properly refrigerated. Other sources of food contamination include the equipment and surfaces on which food is prepared. These bacteria multiply quickly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness. Staphylococcus is killed by cooking and pasteurization.
S. aureus has long been recognized as one of the most important bacteria that cause disease in humans. It is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections such as abscesses (boils), furuncles, and cellulitis. Although most staph infections are not serious, S. aureus can cause serious infections such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia, or bone and joint infections.
About: Micro Imaging Technology, Inc.
Micro Imaging Technology, Inc. is a California-based public company that is also registered to do business under the name Micro Identification Technologies. MIT has developed and patented the MIT 1000, a stand-alone, rapid, optically-based, software driven system that can identify pathogenic bacteria and complete an identification test, after culturing, in three (3) minutes (average) at the lowest cost per test when compared to any other conventional method. It does not rely on chemical or biological agents, conventional processing, fluorescent tags, gas chromatography or DNA analysis. The process requires only clean filtered water and a sample of the unknown bacteria. Revenues for all rapid testing methods exceed $5 billion annually -- with food safety accounting for over $3.5 billion, which is expected to surpass $4.7 billion by this year according to BCC Research. In addition, the recently passed "New" U.S. Food Safety Bill is expected to further accelerate the current annual growth rate of 6.6 percent.
In June 2009, the AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI) awarded the Company Performance Tested Methods SM (PTM) certification for the rapid identification of Listeria. The AOAC RI provides an independent third party evaluation and expert reviews of methods and will award PTM certification to methods that demonstrate performance levels equivalent or better than other certified bacteria identifying methods. The MIT System underwent hundreds of individual tests, including ruggedness and accuracy, to earn AOAC RI's certification for the identification of Listeria.
You can find more information about our company and about Micro Identification Technologies™. Please visit our newly enhanced website at www.micro-identification.com.
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