Expeditious Identification and Quantification of Mycobacteria Species in Metalworking Fluids Using Peptide Nucleic Acid Probes

摘要

Microbial contamination of metalworking fluids (MWFs), particularly by Mycobacteria species, poses a potential health and safety risk for machine tool workers. This hazard can be magnified by undiagnosed or long-term exposure to Mycobacteria that is created by the extensive time required to detect Mycobacteria in MWF (10 to 26 days). This research investigates the use of either epi-fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry (FCM) for the rapid detection and identification of Mycobacteria in situ.