System for autonomous monitoring of bioagents

• US 9,052,255 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Langlois, Richard G., Milanovich, Fred P., Colston, Billy W. Jr., Brown, Steve B., Masquelier, Don A., Mariella, Raymond P. Jr., Venkateswaran, Kodomudi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Chris L
• Application Number:
  US12/786,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20110027781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2202 involving separation of sample components during sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2211 with cyclones
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2217 using a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/08 using a stream of discrete samples flowing along a tube system, e.g. flow injection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An autonomous monitoring system for monitoring for bioagents. A collector gathers the air, water, soil, or substance being monitored. A sample preparation means for preparing a sample is operatively connected to the collector. A detector for detecting the bioagents in the sample is operatively connected to the sample preparation means. One embodiment of the present invention includes confirmation means for confirming the bioagents in the sample.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring air for bioagents, the air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes, consisting the steps of:

gathering said air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes by forming a flow stream of the air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes;

directing said flow stream of the air through a slot that only admits the potential bioagent particles of various sizes that are smaller than a predetermined size;

using a virtual impactor for separating said potential bioagent particles of various sizes that are smaller than said predetermined size into a further separation by size range that are likely to contain said bioagents and collecting said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents by causing said flow stream to change directions in said virtual impactor wherein some of the potential bioagent particles of various sizes do not change directions leaving only potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents;

collecting said bioagents in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents by directing said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents from said virtual impactor to a fluid wetted-wall cyclone collector wherein said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents are concentrated in a volume of said fluid between two cubic centimeters and seven cubic centimeters and,

detecting said bioagents in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents in said volume of fluid between two cubic centimeters and seven cubic centimeters in said wetted-wall cyclone collector by mixing optically encoded microbeads coded with fluorescently labeled antibodies with said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents and detecting said bioagents with said optically encoded microbeads coded with fluorescently labeled antibodies with a laser.

2. A method of monitoring air for bioagents, the air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes, consisting of the steps of:

gathering said air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes by forming a flow stream of the air containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes;

directing said flow stream of the air through a slot that only admits the potential bioagent particles of various sizes that are smaller than a predetermined size;

using a virtual impactor for separating said potential bioagent particles of various sizes that are smaller than said predetermined size into a further separation by size range that are likely to contain said bioagents and collecting said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents by causing said flow stream to change directions in said virtual impactor wherein some of the potential bioagent particles of various sizes do not change directions leaving only potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents;

collecting said bioagents in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents by directing said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents from said virtual impactor to a water wetted-wail cyclone collector wherein said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents are concentrated in a volume of said water between two cubic centimeters and seven cubic centimeters;

detecting said bioagents in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents in said volume of water between two cubic centimeters and seven cubic centimeters in said wetted-wall cyclone collector by mixing optically encoded microbeads coded with fluorescently labeled antibodies with said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents and detecting said bioagents with said optically encoded microbeads coded with fluorescently labeled antibodies with a laser, and

confirming said bioagents of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents by adding PCR reagent to said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents, performing PCR amplification on said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents, and detecting PCR amplicon in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents.