Toxin detector

• US 6,361,962 B1
• Filed: 10/06/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verseau Group Co.
• Original Assignee: Verseau Group Co.
• Inventors: Lentini, David P., Camacho, Vincent S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leary, Louise N.
• Application Number:
  US09/409,475
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 435/29, 435/32, 435/31, 435/4, 435/283.1, 422/50, 422/55
• US Class Current: 435/29
• 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 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/528 Atypical element structures, e.g. gloves, rods, tampons, toilet paper

Abstract

Methods, materials, and systems for detecting toxins are provided. In one aspect, a toxin contamination detector includes a substrate on which a bar code is printed. The bar code has a first color (e.g., black) that is effective to reflect light from a bar code scanning device to produce a bar code result. A toxin indicator is also included. The toxin indicator has a second color in the absence of toxin, which second color does not substantially affect or alter the bar code result. However, the toxin indicator presents a third color in the presence of toxin which substantially changes the bar code result; thereby indicating the presence of toxin.

Claims

1. A toxin contamination detector, comprising:

a. a substrate;

b. a bar code printed on said substrate, said bar code having a first color effective to reflect light from a bar code scanning device to produce a bar code result; and

c. a toxin indicator, said toxin indicator having a second color in the absence of a toxin which second color does not substantially alter said bar code result and a third color in the presence of said toxin that substantially changes said bar code result to indicate thereby the presence of said toxin.

2. The contamination in a test material detector of claim 1, wherein said toxin indicator is deposited on said substrate to provide a background for said bar code.

3. The contamination detector of claim 2, wherein said third color is effective to cause a null bar code result when said toxin indicator is exposed to said toxin.

4. The contamination detector of claim 3, wherein said toxin indicator comprises a polydiacetylene polymer coupled with a toxin-recognizing moiety.

5. The contamination detector of claim 4, wherein said toxin indicator comprises at least one polydiacetylene-containing vesicle.

6. The contamination detector of claim 5, wherein said vesicles are coupled with said substrate.

7. The contamination detector of claim 5, wherein said substrate is substantially transparent and said vesicles are deposited behind said substrate.

8. The contamination detector of claim 4, wherein said toxin-recognizing moiety is effective to recognize a toxin selected from the group consisting of:

E. coli, Salmonella Sp., Listeria Sp., ciguatoxin and related marine polyethers, and aflatoxin.

9. The contamination detector of claim 1, wherein said toxin indicator is deposited on said substrate to provide a second bar code result different from said first bar code result when said toxin indicator is exposed to said toxin.

10. The contamination detector of claim 9, wherein said second bar code result is effective to identify said toxin.

11. The contamination detector of claim 10, wherein said toxin indicator comprises a polydiacetylene polymer coupled with a toxin-recognizing moiety.

12. The contamination detector of claim 11, wherein said toxin-recognizing moiety is effective to recognize a toxin selected from the group consisting of:

E. coli, Salmonella Sp., Listeria Sp., ciguatoxin and related marine polyethers, and aflatoxin.

20. A system for identifying a toxin contaminant, comprising:

a. a container including a toxin contamination detector as described in claim 1;

b. a scanner configured to scan said toxin contamination detector, said scanner being coupled with and configured to send signals to;

c. a processor configured to process signals received from said detector, said processor being configured to process said signals to decode thereby bar code information;

d. such that said scanner and said processor are effective to identify the presence of said toxin in said container upon scanning said toxin contamination detector.

21. A water purifier, comprising:

a. an inlet adapted to receive water including one or more impurities;

b. a purifier configured to remove at least a portion of said impurities; and

c. a calorimetric detector configured to identify the presence of at least one of said impurities, said calorimetric detector comprising a detector of claim 1.

22. The purifier of claim 21, wherein said detector comprises a sol-gel matrix.

13. A method for identifying toxin contamination in a material, comprising the steps of:

a. providing a substrate having a first bar code printed thereon which produces a first bar code result when said first bar code in scanned;

b. providing a toxin indicator proximate to said first bar code, said toxin indicator having a second color in the absence of said toxin which second color does not substantially alter said bar code result and a third color in the presence of said toxin that substantially changes said bar code result to indicate thereby the presence of said toxin;

c. exposing said toxin indicator to said toxin to cause thereby said toxin indicator to change from said second color to said third color; and

d. scanning said first bar code to detect the presence of said toxin.

14. The method of claim 13, further including the step of storing the result from said scanning in a database.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of providing a toxin indicator proximate to said first bar code comprises coupling said toxin indicator with said substrate to provide thereby a null or error result when said first bar code is scanned.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of providing a toxin indicator proximate to said first bar code comprises arranging said toxin indicator to function as a background for said first bar code.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein step of providing a toxin indicator proximate to said first bar code comprises coupling said toxin indicator with said substrate to provide thereby a second bar code.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of scanning said second bar code.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of identifying said toxin from said second bar code.