Scientists reduce time to detect E. coli

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Traditional lab tests for the Escherichia coli bacteria can take 24 hours or longer -- delaying the time to prevent infections in contaminated food, water or other environment -- but researchers in Canada have created a device to speed up that process considerably. Scientists at the University of Quebec and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur created a device that can test for E. coli in 15 to 20 minutes, according to a proof-of-concept study published in the journal Optics Letters. The device, they say, could speed up the time to test foods and bodies of water for the bacteria and prevent outbreaks of infection which pose significant health risk, especially to children and the elderly.