TABLE 5.
Characteristics of total laboratory automation systems for clinical microbiology laboratories
| Characteristic | Copan WASPLab | BD Kiestra TLA | bioMérieux FMLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core specimen inoculation module | WASP | InoqulA | Previ-Isola |
| Inoculation conducted in integrated biosafety cabinet | No | Yes | Information unavailable |
| Uninoculated plate capacity (no. of standard plates) | 350 | 720 | 270 |
| Automated decapping and recapping | Yes | Yes | No; specimen containers must be manually decapped prior to loading to Previ-Isola |
| Inoculation method | Automatic, streaking by reusable metal calibrated loops (1 μl, 10 μl, or 30 μl) | Automatic and manual, streaking by rolling-ball method | Automatic, streaking by disposable plastic comb |
| Manual inoculation of nonliquid or nonstandard specimens for automated streaking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Streak pattern | User defined | User defined | Circular pattern |
| Inoculations (no. of standard plates)/h | 180 | 400 | 180 |
| Automated inoculation of broths | Yes, automated on WASP warehouse carousel | Yes, automated on InoqulA | Information unavailable |
| Automated placement of disks | Yes, automated on WASP warehouse carousel | No, manual on ErgonomicA | Information unavailable |
| Automated slide prepn | Yes (staining is manual offline task) | Yes (staining manual at ErgonomicA module) | Information unavailable |
| Automated prepn of MALDI target plates | In development | In development | Information unavailable |
| Commercially available | Yes | Yes | No |