Adenosine Triphosphate Bioluminescence Analysis for Rapid Screening of Microbial Contamination in Non-Sterile Pharmaceutical Samples

Abstract

An Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence system was compared and validated against standard methods for rapid microbiological monitoring of several non-sterile pharmaceutical formulations such as creams, tablets, and capsules. Results obtained using 1%, 2.5%, and 10% of product suspensions indicated that most samples that did not contain non-microbial ATP neither inhibited the bioluminescence reaction nor did something else. Ten percent product suspensions were inoculated with different concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. Samples were incubated for 24–120 h at 35 °C with shaking. Results indicated a strong inhibitory effect of microbial growth, as no microorganisms were detected by using the ATP bioluminescence assay. However, when 1% and 2.5% product suspensions were spiked with the same microorganisms, positive detection was confirmed. After incubation, all microorganisms were detected by the bioluminescence system within 24–72 h. All positive samples were confirmed by using standard plating media. However, to optimize detection of all microorganisms, different enrichment media were developed.