New equipment at QEH uses laser to speed up detection of infections

Two new pieces of equipment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown are making it easier to diagnose infections —and to prescribe the most effective antibiotics to treat them.

The MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer uses a laser to analyze bacteria and has been given the nickname Merlin for "the magic that it works."

"It revolutionizes how we approach microbiology just like the light microscope did 100 years ago," said Dr. Greg German, medical microbiologist and infectious disease consultant for Health PEI.

"Now we're able to zap bacteria and get answers in only 15 to 20 seconds rather than waiting for 15 to 20 hours for results."

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German says the laser creates a fingerprint based on the properties of the bacteria which allows for rapid identification. 

"It's basically a mass spectrometer dedicated to identifying germs," German said.

Time saver

German says Merlin needs smaller samples of bacteria so the analysis can start after less time in the culture room.

In the past, the microbiology lab used biochemical tests and panels and needed to grow larger samples of bacteria, which took longer.

"It saves time in analysis because we can use less growth," German said. 

"Instead of 16 hours or 12 hours, we can use sometimes as little as four hours of growth."

The second piece of equipment, BD Phoenix antimicrobial susceptibility machine, nicknamed Doris, helps determine the best antibiotics for treatment.

"Doris gives us much more antibiotic results in terms of which antibiotics will work," German said.

"Doris is probably available in about a third of hospitals across Canada and so we're happy to have it here."

German says the Merlin cost about $250,000, plus $30,000 for the laser that goes with it, and the Doris system was around $50,000-$60,000.

'I feel better right away'

Doris Anderson, 96, of St. Peters, P.E.I. is one of Dr. German's patients who has benefited from the new equipment. 

"I was bothered for years with urinary tract infection which I used to get every three weeks or so and I'd be treated with different antibiotics," said Anderson.

"It used to take 24 hours to have a sample tested, now they can do it in less than a minute so that means I get treated immediately and I feel better right away."

Anderson says she used to be prescribed more than a dozen antibiotics, while now, thanks to the new equipment, she's using just one. 

"You can imagine, infections are not very pleasant things and so the quicker they're treated, the better you feel," Anderson said.

"I feel so much better. I can be up and about.... I want to live as long as I can, as healthy as I can." 

German says the hope is that the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, P.E.I. will also be able to send plates for quicker analysis, though they will still need to be transported to Charlottetown to be put in the mass spectrometer. 

The new machines have been operational since January.

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