Evaluation of Adenosine Triphosphate Bioluminescence Measurement for Standard Reference Strains (American Type Culture Collection)

This study assessed the applicability of the portable adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence device, Lumitester Smart (Kikkoman Biochemifa), for hygiene monitoring in clinical microbiology laboratories. Standard reference strains were tested, and the ATP levels were measured using two sampling kits: LuciPac A3 Surface and LuciPac A3 Water. The relative light unit (RLU) values decreased proportionally at lower concentrations according to the McFarland standard, indicating the quantitative reliability of the system. In particular, LuciPac A3 Water generally produced higher RLU values than LuciPac A3 Surface. This trend was especially evident in Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting that ATP extraction or detection is more efficient under aqueous conditions. These findings emphasize the influence of sampling methods on result interpretation. Considering the increasing importance of healthcare-associated infections and the demand for rapid and reliable hygiene assessment methods, ATP measurement technology has potential as a quantitative and real-time monitoring approach. Future research should focus on investigating the correlation between the ATP levels and infection incidence in real-world healthcare environments, as well as exploring the associations with specific pathogenic microorganisms to establish the broader clinical utility of this approach.