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The Perennial Problem of Variability In Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) Tests for Hygiene Monitoring Within Healthcare Settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2015

Greg S. Whiteley ,
Chris Derry ,
Trevor Glasbey  and
Paul Fahey
Greg S. Whiteley*
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, School of Science and Health, Richmond, NSW, Australia Whiteley Corporation, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Chris Derry
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, School of Science and Health, Richmond, NSW, Australia WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Development, Richmond, NSW, Australia
Trevor Glasbey
Affiliation:
Whiteley Corporation, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Paul Fahey
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, School of Science and Health, Richmond, NSW, Australia
*
Address correspondence to Greg S. Whiteley, M Safety Sc, P.O. Box 1076, North Sydney, NSW 2059, Australia (gregswhiteley@aol.com).
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the reliability of commercial ATP bioluminometers and to document precision and variability measurements using known and quantitated standard materials.

METHODS

Four commercially branded ATP bioluminometers and their consumables were subjected to a series of controlled studies with quantitated materials in multiple repetitions of dilution series. The individual dilutions were applied directly to ATP swabs. To assess precision and reproducibility, each dilution step was tested in triplicate or quadruplicate and the RLU reading from each test point was recorded. Results across the multiple dilution series were normalized using the coefficient of variation.

RESULTS

The results for pure ATP and bacterial ATP from suspensions of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are presented graphically. The data indicate that precision and reproducibility are poor across all brands tested. Standard deviation was as high as 50% of the mean for all brands, and in the field users are not provided any indication of this level of imprecision.

CONCLUSIONS

The variability of commercial ATP bioluminometers and their consumables is unacceptably high with the current technical configuration. The advantage of speed of response is undermined by instrument imprecision expressed in the numerical scale of relative light units (RLU).

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0):1–6

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 36 , Issue 6 , June 2015 , pp. 658 - 663
Copyright
© 2015 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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