Method of detecting living microorganisms
AssigneeHazleton Laboratories, Incorporated
InventorJohn R. Clendenning
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The presence or absence of living microorganisms is determined by treating a sample containing said microorganisms with an adenosine triphosphate reactive mixture containing luciferin, luciferase and a cation in the presence of oxygen and measuring the light emission produced.
Claims18
A method for testing an unknown sample of material, said sample containing substantially no adenosine triphosphate which is not in living microorganisms therein, and said material being suspected to contain living microorganisms which comprises:
- a. treating said sample to render adenosine triphosphate in any living microorganisms present therein available for reaction,
- b. contacting said sample with an adenosine triphosphate-reactive mixture comprising luciferin, luciferase, and a cation in the presence of oxygen, and
- c. measuring the light emission from any ensuing reaction,
- said light emission being indicative of the presence and amount of living microorganisms in said sample.
A method for testing an unknown sample of material, said sample containing substantially no adenosine triphosphate which is not in living microorganisms therein, and said material being suspected to contain living microorganisms which comprises:
- a. treating said sample to render adenosine triphosphate in any living microorganisms present therein available for reaction,
- b. contacting said sample with an adenosine triphosphate-reactive mixture comprising luciferin, luciferase, and a cation in the presence of oxygen, and
- c. measuring the light emission from any ensuing reaction,
- said light emission being indicative of the presence and amount of living microorganisms in said sample,
- said method including the step of incubating a second such approximately equal sample of said material in a nutrient medium, repeating the process of steps (a), (b), and (c) on said incubated sample, and comparing the light emission produced by the unincubated sample with that produced by the incubated sample, the presence of living microorganisms in said material being indicated by emission of light in the initial test and confirmed by an increase in light emission produced by said incubated sample over that produced by said unincubated sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.