Automated characterization and classification of microorganisms

An instrument comprising a vibrational spectrometer, a processing means, a first spectral database and a first information database, for obtaining information about a microorganism in a sample of interest by establishing vibrational spectroscopic similarity of the microorganism in the sample of interest to a microorganism of which the vibrational spectrum is present in the first spectral database, wherein

• the spectrometer, for determining a vibrational spectrum of the microorganism in the sample of interest, is linked to the processing means;
• the processing means, for executing a computer program which comprises computer executable software code for analysis of the signal obtained from the spectrometer and for classification of the microorganism in the sample of interest, is linked to the spectrometer and to the databases and 200;
• the first spectral database, which comprises zero or more vibrational spectra of microorganisms for establishing similarity of the spectrum of the microorganism in the sample of interest to the vibrational spectrum of a microorganism of which the spectrum is present in the first spectral database, is linked to the processing means;
• the first information database, which comprises additional information about the microorganisms of which the spectrum is present in the first spectral database, is linked to the processing means,
• which is characterised in that the spectroscopic similarity itself determines classification of the microorganism of interest and in that the vibrational spectrum of the microorganism in the sample of interest is used in the classification of subsequent spectra.