Patent 11961236 was granted and assigned to University Health Network on April, 2024 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Systems and methods for determining bacterial load in targets are disclosed. An autofluorescence detection and collection device includes a light source configured to illuminate a target with excitation light causing at least one biomarker in the illuminated target to fluoresce. Bacterial autofluorescence data regarding the target is collected and analyzed to determine bacterial load the target. The autofluorescence data may be analyzed using pixel intensity.