Abstract: A system and method for automated testing a sample of a body fluid for the presence of bacteria is described. The system includes a fluid handling device, Incubator, flow cytometer, at least a processor, and a memory configuring the at least a processor to distribute a portion of the plurality of fluid samples within a well plate to at least a first well, divide the portion of the plurality of fluid samples from the at least a first well into at least two wells including a T0 well and a T1 well, obtain a T0 enumerative baseline bacterial value at time T0, culture the fluid samples in the T1 well using the incubator, obtain a T1 enumerative control bacterial value at time T1, and determine a presence of bacteria as a function of the T0 enumerative baseline bacterial value and the T1 enumerative control bacterial value.

Abstract: A system for detecting a target bacteria is disclosed. The system comprises a flow cytometer. The flow cytometer is configured to receive a fluid sample, wherein the fluid sample comprises at least a target bacteria and at least a contaminant bacteria. The flow cytometer is also configured to generate a first enumeration of a total bacteria in the fluid sample during a pre-incubation phase. The fluid sample is then incubated during an incubation phase. The flow cytometer then generates a second enumeration of the total bacteria in the fluid sample during a post-incubation phase. A computing device then determines a growth ratio of the total bacteria as a function of the first enumeration and the second enumeration. Finally, the computing device identifies the presence of the at least a target bacteria as a function of the growth ratio.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include methods and systems for automated analysis of clinical fluid samples, such as urine, blood, or cerebral spinal fluid, where the number of fluid samples in increased or optimized without negatively impacting the accuracy of the analysis of a given fluid sample.