Systems and methods for adhering biofilm to a lumen
AssigneeSaban Ventures Pty Limited
InventorsBrian Hingley, Ingeborg Kristina Palmer, Joshua Storm Caley, Ashwin Gopalan Nair
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Abstract
A method of cleaning a contaminated surface, such as cleaning the elongate interior lumen of an endoscope contaminated with flesh, bone, blood, mucous, faeces or biofilm, said method comprising the steps of: providing a suspension of solid particles in a liquid to said contaminated surface, and flowing said suspension along said surface thereby to remove contaminant from the surface. The suspension is preferably a paste, where the solid material may be e.g. crystals of a salt, silicon oxide or organic material. The paste preferably has a solid fraction between 5 and 55%. A rheology modifier may be present.
Claims33
A method of building a stable biofilm in a lumen comprising:
- depositing a fixed layer of protein on the lumen, comprising a first set of ordered steps of:
- (a) applying a protein-containing, biological fluid solution to the lumen;
- and
- (b) fixing protein from the solution with a glutaraldehyde solution to deposit a fixed layer of protein to the lumen;
- and
- applying an inoculated growth medium comprising a bacterial strain capable of forming a biofilm onto the fixed layer of protein, wherein the application of the growth medium gives rise to a stable biofilm.
A method of depositing a fixed layer of protein on a lumen comprises the ordered steps of:
- (a) pumping a volume of a protein-containing biological fluid solution equal to twice a volume held by a completely filled lumen through the lumen, and waiting at least 20 minutes;
- (b) pumping a volume of the glutaraldehyde solution equal to twice the volume held by the completely filled lumen through the lumen, and waiting at least 10 minutes;
- (c) repeating the ordered steps (a) and (b) at least five times to deposit a fixed layer of protein on the lumen;
- and
- (d) washing the lumen with a volume of water equal to up to ten times the volume held by the completely filled lumen.
A method of adhering a stable biofilm to a lumen of a medical device, comprising ordered steps of:
- depositing a fixed layer of protein on the lumen, comprising the ordered steps of:
- (a) pumping a solution comprising animal serum through the lumen;
- and
- (b) fixing the protein from biological solution to the lumen by pumping a glutaraldehyde solution through the lumen;
- (c) repeating ordered steps (a) and (b) at least two times;
- and
- preparing an inoculated growth medium comprising a bacterial strain capable of forming a biofilm on the fixed layer of protein;
- adhering a layer of biofilm on the fixed layer of protein on the lumen, comprising the ordered steps of:
- (d) recirculating the inoculated growth medium from the flask through the lumen and back, and allowing the medium to drain from the lumen;
- (e) preparing a new batch of growth medium and repeating step (d);
- (f) repeating step (e),
- wherein the layer of protein acts as a scaffold to which the biofilm is adhered and rendered stable for testing of medical device cleaning protocols.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.