Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Apparatus – Bioreactor
Patent
1985-10-04
1987-06-09
Jones, Larry
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Apparatus
Bioreactor
435311, 435808, 422 52, C12M 134
Patent
active
046720391
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for registering the presence of bacteria, particularly under field conditions, including a portable plate with a luminescence chamber preferably made in transparent material, in which a liquid sample including bacteria is caused to emit light by luminescence with the aid of certain chemical compositions, the light being read by a light-sensitive means arranged adjacent the luminescence chamber, and constituting a measure of the bacteria present in the liquid sample.
Such tests for the detection of bacteria usually take place by a sample that is suspected to contain bacteria being grown in a nutrient solution, so that the growth of cultures may be observed and counted therein. The method generally requires heat incubation and a time of between 18-48 hours, as well as pure laboratory conditions. By this method it has been possible, however, to make a species determination of the bacteria. Modern hygiene and technology within the areas which require control of bacteria amounts in our surroundings have so far been substantially dependent on these slow and exact methods for detecting bacteria in gases and liquids. In many connections there is a desire rapidly to determine the presence of bacteria, and particularly when large health risks can be present, e.g. in bacteriological warfare.
The Swedish National Defence Research Institute has demonstrated a rapid way of discovering the presence of bacteria by a method utilising the fluorescence which, inter alia, bacteria can emit on being treated with suitable chemicals. This method consists in first collecting and subsequently treating bacteria with the hemin in the bacteria thus being released. This hemin is thereafter permitted to react with oxygen and luminol, thus causing chemical luminescence. Existing luminescence registrating apparatus have high sensitivity and can often register individual photons, but the disadvantage with these apparatus is that they are very large and have a complicated construction; while also having a high price, and so far they have only been used in larger laboratories. For practical applications there is a desire for and a large need of being readily able to determine whether such as drinking water, bathing water, urine samples, wastewater, milk or other foodstuffs etc, contain alarming amounts of bacteria, or that they are uninfected and thus do not require any action.
The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for registering the presence of bacteria, particularly in field conditions, with which it is possible to obtain a reading by the registration of the amount of microorganisms, and to use the reading for a rough assessment of the type "serviceable" or "unserviceable" for a particular liquid sample. The apparatus in accordance with the invention is easily handled due to its simple construction, and may be used by untrained persons.
The invention accordingly intends to provide an apparatus of the kind mentioned in the introduction, which is easy to handle and at the same time cheap to manufacture. Essentially distinguishing for the invention is that the luminescence chamber, which is formed in the plate preferably made from transparent material, has its opening defined by a filter which is carried by a perforated support lattice and which opens out in an opaque collection vessel sealing liquid-tight against the plate, in that the plate includes a transparent portion, above or opposite the opening of the chamber, over which portion there is a means for registering a light flux generated by luminescence, said means being situated in an opaque housing sealing against the plate and covering the portion, and in that if photographic film is used, as the means, there is an aperture plate displaceably mounted above the portion, between the plate and the means, for preventing unintentional exposure of the means. The method, particularly for field determination of the presence of bacteria by the apparatus, is essentially distinguished in that a liquid sample is
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AB Sangtec Medical
Jones Larry
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