Method and device for concentrating selected groups of microorganisms
AssigneeCentrus International, Inc.
InventorRuth F. Eden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and device are described to concentrate target organisms from a mixture of organisms. Beads (1) made of material such as nylon, polystyrene or glass are coated with antibodies of specific microorganisms. The beads (1) are contained in an enclosure (2) surrounded by grid material (4). The pore size of the grid is smaller than the size of the beads, to assure that the beads stay within the grid material and larger than the size of the microorganisms to allow the interaction of the microorganisms with the beads. A rod (5) is attached to the upper part of the enclosure (2) allowing the agitation of the device inside he growth medium containing the target organisms.
Claims15
A method of separating target microorganisms from a suspension, comprising:
- immersing a plurality of beads coated with at least one antibody material into the suspension, said beads being contained within the interior space of an enclosure having a pore size smaller than the size of said beads and larger than the size of the microorganisms,
- suspending the enclosure in the suspension thereby allowing the capture of the target microorganisms by said beads;
- and
- washing said beads to remove organisms not bound to said beads, thereby separating target microorganisms from the suspension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.