Sensitive Microbial Test Identifies Previously Undetectable Bacteria

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a scalable, highly sensitive microbial detection protocol that can identify as few as 50 bacteria present on surfaces in cleanrooms and other low-biomass settings. The technology, which the researchers have called KatharoSeq, has been validated by testing swabs from hundreds of surfaces in three very different low-biomass environments—a spacecraft assembly facility, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and a rare