aCOLyte Automated Colony Counter Cuts QC Time in Half

The åCOLyte automated colony counter from Synbiosis has reduced colony counting time at Evans Vanodine International, a major hygiene chemicals manufacturer based in the UK.

Microbiologists at Evans Vanodine are using the åCOLyte SuperCount automated colony counter in their UKAS accredited Microbiology Department to count a number of different species of bacteria including MRSA, Salmonella and E.coli. These bacteria have been previously treated with Evans Vanodine's hygiene chemicals and the counts indicate the effectiveness of each disinfectant.

Valerie Fotheringham, Chief Microbiologist at Evans Vanodine explained: "We need to count 15 to 300 colonies on 100 plates every week. We used to use a semi-automated light box and pen and it could take four microbiologists an entire day to count and record results. Now we use åCOLyte we can get this done in half a day so we can devote the time saved to calculating results and preparing test reports.

"We installed åCOLyte because it is an affordable system which is like a basic light box but faster. Since we are testing for the bactericidal activity of disinfectants under our UKAS accreditation, it is imperative to validate that the system is comparable to a manual count. We have successfully carried out extensive laboratory validation studies on the åCOLyte to achieve this aim," continued Mrs Fotheringham.

Simon Johns, Divisional Manager for Synbiosis stated: "The rise in hospital acquired infections is a serious concern and we are delighted that åCOLyte is helping Evans Vanodine to ensure disinfectants, used to counter this problem, are available more rapidly. Additionally, as Evan's Vanodine's use of the system has reduced their workload and their validation studies demonstrate åCOLyte is comparable to a manual counting method, this makes it ideal for any microbial quality control setting."