Development of a Tetrazolium-Derived Paper-Based Diagnostic Device as an Early, Alternative Bacteria Screening Tool.

(1) Background: The complexity, amount of time, and the large amount of resource required to perform gold-standard bacteria culture procedures makes it difficult to perform timely pathogenic analyses, especially in areas where such resources are not readily available. A paper-based biochemical analytical tool can potentially tackle problems economically in terms of time and convenience, potentially finding utility in applications where simple and timely detection of bacteria is necessary; (2) Methods: The utility of paper-based MTT-PMS strips was tested using a simple colorimetric analytical methodology; (3) Results: Sufficient evidence was obtained to suggest that the strips can potentially be used as a rapid and convenient early, alternative bacteria screening tool for a variety of applications; (4) Conclusions: The potential of strips for the rapid detection of bacteria compared to standard bacteria culture is a key advantage in certain clinical, agricultural, and environmental applications.