SYSTEM FOR DETECTING INFECTIOUS AGENTS USING COMPUTER-CONTROLLED AUTOMATED IMAGE ANALYSIS

• US 20120020542A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ikonisys, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ikonisys, Inc.
• Inventors: TAFAS, Triantafyllos, KILPATRICK, Michael, TSIPOURAS, Petros
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/133
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/04 Determining presence or kind of microorganism; Use of selective media for testing antibiotics or bacteriocides; Compositions containing a chemical indicator therefor C12Q1/6897 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30024 Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/69 Microscopic objects, e.g. biological cells or cellular parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/698 Matching; Classification

Abstract

A method for providing quantitative information regarding the extent of infection of host cells by an infectious agent. A microscope image of a specimen of a bodily fluid is analyzed using image processing techniques to quantify the percentage of the area of the specimen that is infected.

Claims

1. A computer software product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having fixed therein a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a computer, direct the performance of a method for transforming an image into quantitative information regarding the extent of infection which comprises:

acquiring an image of a specimen comprising host cells infected by an infectious agent, said image comprising pixels each having a known area;

determining and recording an area of said specimen within field of view of said image;

performing image processing to remove noise artifacts from said image;

identifying and determining quantity of pixels representing said host cells infected by said infectious agent;

calculating and recording area of said infected host cells;

calculating infected area percentage by dividing area of said pixels representing said host cells infected by an infectious agent by said area of said specimen within field of view of said image; and

outputting said infected area percentage as quantitative information regarding extent of infection.

2. The computer software product of claim 1, wherein said infection agent of interest is a bacterium, mycoplasma, rickettsia, a spirochete, a fungus, a protozoal parasite, a virus or a prion.

3. The computer software product of claim 2, wherein said infection agent of interest is Chlamydia sp.

4. The computer software product of claim 2, wherein said infection agent of interest is Borrelia sp.