PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Salvas, Joanny
AU  - Merker, Petra
AU  - Dingle, Mike
AU  - Joossen, Cedric
AU  - Knutsen, Chris
AU  - Govezensky, David
AU  - Cannon, Jim
AU  - Villari, Philip
AU  - Cundell, Anthony
AU  - Navarro, Victoria
AU  - Franz-Riethdorf, Margit
AU  - Scott, Allison
TI  - Understanding the Non-Equivalency of Bio-Fluorescent Particle Counts versus the Colony-Forming Unit
AID  - 10.5731/pdajpst.2022.012790
DP  - 2023 Nov 01
TA  - PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
PG  - 514--518
VI  - 77
IP  - 6
4099  - http://journal.pda.org/content/77/6/514.short
4100  - http://journal.pda.org/content/77/6/514.full
SO  - PDA J Pharm Sci Technol2023 Nov 01; 77
AB  - Adopting emerging microbiological methods is often desirable because it enables more advantageous, real-time monitoring practices. However, when the newer method measures contamination based on a different detection principle and provides results that are based on different units of measure, a paradigm shift is necessary. That shift can be one of the most difficult challenges in any such project and requires careful consideration. In this article, we explore the challenges presented by the bio-fluorescent particle counting (BFPC) technology, when considering that the traditional colony-forming unit (CFU) is the gold standard that any change is measured against. We examine why attempts to correlate newer units of measure used by biofluorescent particle counters, namely the auto-fluorescent units (AFUs), to the traditional CFUs are not necessarily appropriate. The article explores in depth why there is no consistent correlation factor between the two units of measure, and why that should not be a barrier to fully leveraging, implementing, and using such modern technologies in routine monitoring.