Tester for automated identification of analytes in bodily fluids

Abstract

A system, method, and assembly are provided for identifying one or more analytes within bodily fluids, such as saliva. The system includes an analyte tester, an oral aspirator, a conduit that is in fluid communication between the oral aspirator and the tester, and a pump in fluid communication with the conduit. In this manner, the aspirated oral fluid can be pumped directly from the aspirator into the analyte tester for identification of one or more oral fluid analytes. The analyte tester can be a flow immunoassay tester that identifies the five NIDA drugs-of-abuse, and can be configured to identify up to ten different drugs or other analytes. The analyte tester can also be portable, so that it can be conveniently used areas remote from laboratories. The tester may include a chemistry cassette and a test console configured for receiving the chemistry cassette. In this case, the conduit may be in fluid communication with the chemistry cassette. A user interface may also be provided for entering test information (e.g., a specific test selection or test panel customization) and for conveying test results (e.g., using a display or printer).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.