Diagnostic microbiological testing apparatus and method
AssigneeDifco Laboratories
InventorGideon Eden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A diagnostic microbiological testing apparatus and method includes at least one test tray including a plurality of reaction chambers, a light source disposed proximate to the test tray for directing light, at an excitation wavelength of a fluorescence emitting agent contained within the reaction chambers, at the test tray, a filter for passing therethrough only light generated by a fluorescence emitting reaction resulting from the interaction of the fluorescence emitting agent and a sample, and an imaging mechanism for detecting only the light generated by the fluorescence emitting reaction at the emission wavelength simultaneously from the plurality of reaction chambers.
Claims5
A diagnostic microbiological testing apparatus for detecting the presence of fluorescence emitting reaction (FER) resulting from the interaction of fluorescence emitting agents (FEA) and a sample for susceptibility and identification testing, said apparatus consisting essentially of:
- a test tray including a plurality of reaction chambers containing an FEA, which upon reaction with a predetermined microbe in a sample will emit light at a predetermined emission wavelength upon being illuminated by light at a predetermined excitation wavelength;
- a narrow band light source disposed proximate to said plurality of reaction chambers of said test tray for directing light substantially at said excitation wavelength at said plurality of reaction chambers;
- filter means for passing therethrough only light generated by the FER at the emission wavelength;
- and a video means for detecting only the light generated by an FER at the emission wavelength simultaneously from all the said plurality of reaction chambers of said test tray and forming an image thereof, said filter means being disposed between said test tray and video means.
A method of detecting the presence of a fluorescence emitting reaction (FER) resulting from the interaction of fluorescence emitting agents (FEA) and a sample for susceptibility and identification testing, said method consisting essentially of the steps of:
- containing an FEA in a plurality of reaction chambers of a test tray, the FEA upon reaction with a predetermined microbe in a sample emitting light at a predetermined emission wavelength upon being illuminated by light at a predetermined excitation wavelength;
- directing a narrow band light substantially at the excitation wavelength at the plurality of reaction chambers of the test tray
- passing through a filter only light generated by an FER at the emission wavelength simultaneously from the plurality of reaction chambers;
- and video imaging only the passed through light generated by the FER at the emission wavelength simultaneously from all of the plurality of reaction chambers of the test tray.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.