Method for the detection of biologically active agents
First Claim
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1. A method for detecting the presence of microorganisms in a sample of material to be analyzed comprising the steps of:
- (a) introducing a test sample into a sterile vial having culture medium and head space gas wherein the culture medium has a carbon source and the head space gas has a known initial CO2 concentration;
(b) incubating the vial at conditions conducive to metabolism of microorganisms;
(c) introducing, into a test head for determining carbon dioxide content of gas therein, a culture gas having a CO2 concentration substantially equal to the known initial CO2 concentration of the head space gas;
(d) determining the CO2 concentration level of the culture gas with the test head, the test head having sensing and motive components for use in sampling the head space gas in the vial;
(e) establishing a fluid communication path between the head space and the test head;
(f) mixing the culture gas in the test head with the head space gas;
(g) measuring in the test head the concentration of CO2 in the mixture of culture gas and the head space gas; and
(h) comparing the measured CO2 concentration of the mixture with the CO2 concentration of the culture gas determined in step (d) to detect the presence of microorganisms.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for the detection of the growth of microorganisms through infrared analysis of a sample of the gas produced by growth of the microorganism is descirbed. In the method, a sample of the headspace gas in a vial containing a growth medium which has been inoculated with a sample suspected of containing a microorganism is removed and transferred to a sample cell where infrared analysis is used to determine the presence of carbon dioxide, if any, produced by the growth of the microorganism.
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8 Claims
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1. A method for detecting the presence of microorganisms in a sample of material to be analyzed comprising the steps of:
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(a) introducing a test sample into a sterile vial having culture medium and head space gas wherein the culture medium has a carbon source and the head space gas has a known initial CO2 concentration; (b) incubating the vial at conditions conducive to metabolism of microorganisms; (c) introducing, into a test head for determining carbon dioxide content of gas therein, a culture gas having a CO2 concentration substantially equal to the known initial CO2 concentration of the head space gas; (d) determining the CO2 concentration level of the culture gas with the test head, the test head having sensing and motive components for use in sampling the head space gas in the vial; (e) establishing a fluid communication path between the head space and the test head; (f) mixing the culture gas in the test head with the head space gas; (g) measuring in the test head the concentration of CO2 in the mixture of culture gas and the head space gas; and (h) comparing the measured CO2 concentration of the mixture with the CO2 concentration of the culture gas determined in step (d) to detect the presence of microorganisms. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification