Decontamination method and system implementing it

• US 20090110595A1
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Ribault, Sebastien, Noehringer, Christel, Kieffer, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 8,071,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/29
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/208 Hydrogen peroxide
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00277 Special precautions to avoid contamination (e.g. enclosures, glove- boxes, sealed sample carriers, disposal of contaminated material)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/02 using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations G01N35/0098 and G01N35/0099 take precedence

Abstract

The method of microbiological decontamination of a machine comprising an enclosure (5, 100) for treating a support (6) and a conveyor comprising a shuttle (30), comprises the steps of obtaining a container (6) adapted to be received on said shuttle (30) and to diffuse biocidal agent in said enclosure (5, 100), of placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30), of moving said shuttle (30) within said enclosure, and of evacuating said agent.

The microbiological analysis system comprises a container (6), a microbiological analysis machine comprising at least two stations (2, 3, 4) for treatment of said support (6), a conveyor comprising a shuttle (30) adapted to receive and to move said support (6), said container (6) being adapted to be received on said shuttle (30), as well as means (150, 156, 159) for evacuating said biocidal agent.

Claims

1. A method of microbiological decontamination of a machine (1) comprising an enclosure (5, 100) for treating a support (6) to analyze and a conveyor (10) comprising a shuttle (30) for moving said support (6) within said enclosure (5, 100) in order for it to be treated by successive treatment stations (2, 3, 4) of said machine, characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

obtaining a container (6) adapted to be received on said shuttle (30) and to diffuse biocidal agent in said enclosure (5, 100);

placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30);

moving said shuttle (30) within said enclosure (5, 100) between said stations (2, 3, 4); and

evacuating said agent.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30) is implemented by disposing said container (6) at the intended location on said shuttle (30) to receive a support (6) to analyze.

3. A method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises, prior to the step of placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30), the step of selecting, as said container (6), a support (6) that is identical to those intended to be analyzed.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises the step of selecting, as said conveyor (10), a conveyor (10) of which the shuttle (30) is adapted to receive a support (6) comprising a membrane (23) and a tubular body (20, 21, 22) surrounding said membrane (23).

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises, prior to the step of placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30), the step of depositing in said container (6) a precursor agent of the biocidal agent and, between the step of placing said container (6) on said shuttle (30) and the step of moving said shuttle (30) within said enclosure (5, 100) between said stations (2, 3, 4), the step of activating said precursor agent.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that said step of activating said precursor agent is implemented by a step of heating said precursor agent.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the heating is heating by microwaves.

8. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that it comprises the step of selecting hydrogen peroxide in liquid phase as said precursor agent.

9. A system for microbiological analysis of a support appropriate for the implementation of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises:

a container (6) adapted to diffuse a biocidal agent;

a machine (1) for microbiological analysis comprising a treatment enclosure (5, 100) adapted to receive a said support (6), at least two stations (2, 3, 4) for treating said support (6), a conveyor (10) comprising a shuttle (30) adapted to receive and to move said support (6), between said stations (2, 3, 4), said container being (6) adapted to be received on said shuttle (30), as well as means (150, 156, 159) for evacuating said biocidal agent.

10. A system according to claim 9, characterized in that it also comprises a precursor agent of said biocidal agent to deposit on said container (6) and to activate to diffuse said biocidal agent, said machine also comprising means (4) for activating said precursor agent.

11. A system according to claim 10, characterized in that said activating means comprise a station (4) for heating said container (6).

12. A system according to claim 11, characterized in that the heating station (4) comprises a microwave cavity (100) and a magnetron (101).