Method and apparatus for detecting and quantifying bacterial spores on a surface
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorAdrian Ponce
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for detecting and quantifying bacterial spores on a surface. In accordance with the method: bacterial spores are transferred from a place of origin to a test surface, the test surface comprises lanthanide ions. Aromatic molecules are released from the bacterial spores; a complex of the lanthanide ions and aromatic molecules is formed on the test surface, the complex is excited to generate a characteristic luminescence on the test surface; the luminescence on the test surface is detected and quantified.
Claims43
A method for detecting and quantifying individual bacterial spores comprising:
- capturing the bacterial spores;
- transferring the bacterial spores to a test surface;
- providing one or more lanthanide ions on the test surface;
- releasing aromatic molecules from the bacterial spores on the test surface;
- forming a complex of the one or more lanthanide ions and the aromatic molecules on the test surface;
- exciting the complex to generate a characteristic luminescence of the complex on the test surface;
- and
- detecting and quantifying the individual bacterial spores by imaging the bacterial spores via luminescence spots surrounding the bacterial spores, said luminescent spots generated on the test surface through lifetime-gated imaging, with a micrometric spatial resolution.
A method for detecting and quantifying bacterial spores comprising:
- providing the bacterial spores on a test surface, each bacterial spore having a spore body;
- providing one or more lanthanide ions on the test surface;
- releasing aromatic molecules from the spore body of a bacterial spore onto the test surface, the released aromatic molecules defining on the test surface a surrounding area around the spore body of the bacterial spore;
- forming a complex of the one or more lanthanide ions and the aromatic molecules on the surrounding area;
- exciting the complex to generate a characteristic luminescence of the complex on the surrounding area;
- and
- detecting and quantifying the bacterial spores by imaging surrounding areas through lifetime-gated imaging with a micrometric spatial resolution.
A method for detecting and quantifying bacterial spores, the method comprising
- providing the bacterial spores, each bacterial spore having a spore body;
- providing one or more lanthanide ions;
- releasing aromatic molecules from the spore body
- forming a complex of the one or more lanthanide ions and the aromatic molecules;
- exciting the complex to generate a characteristic luminescence of the complex;
- and
- detecting and quantifying bacterial spores by imaging the bacterial spores through lifetime-gated imaging,
- wherein
- releasing aromatic molecules from the spore body is performed on a test surface to generate on the test surface an aromatic molecules concentration region around the spore body
- the complex of the one or more lanthanide ions and the aromatic molecules is formed on said region, and
- detecting and quantifying bacterial spores is performed by imaging the aromatic molecules concentration regions on the test surface with a micrometric spatial resolution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.