Method and apparatus for detecting biological activities in a specimen

Claim 1

A method for detecting biological activities in a specimen, comprising: intoducing a sample of the specimen and a culture medium into a sealable transparent container and sealing the same therein; exposing the specimen to conditions enabling metabolic processes to take place in the presence of microorganisms in the sample, the concentration of initial substances being lowered and that of metabolic products being raised during metabolic processes; generating a fluorescent signal with a fluorescent sensor in response to changes of concentration of at least one substance subject to conversion by the metabolic processes; optically interrogating the fluorescent signal to produce a test signal indicating the change of concentration; and monitoring the signal over time for changes indicating the presence of microorganisms.

Claim 3

A method for detecting biological activities in a specimen, comprising the steps of: introducing a sample of the specimen and a culture medium into a sealable transparent container and sealing the same therein along with an optode which comprises an otherwise inert fluorophore and a CO₂-sensitive color indicator; exposing the sample to condition enabling metabolic processes to take place in the presence of microorganisms in the sample which increase the CO₂ concentration; exciting the otherwise inert fluorophore through the transparent container with an external light source to cause emission of a fluorescent signal; modulating the fluorescent signal with the CO₂-sensitive color indicator in response to the changes in CO₂ concentration; and detecting the modulated fluorescent signal over time to indicate the presence of microorganisms.

Claim 4

A method for detecting biological activities in a blood sample, comprising the steps of: introducing a culture medium containing a carbon compound therein into a sealable transparent container; adding an inert fluorescent sensor to the culture medium which responds to a change in CO₂ content to change its fluorescent behavior; sealing the container; introducing a blood sample into the container; subjecting the blood sample to metabolic processes in the presence of microorganisms during which CO₂ is produced; radiating the contents of the container through the wall of the container with radiation of a character that causes emission of a fluorescent signal by the fluorescent sensor, the fluorescent signal being changed by the fluorescent behavior of the indicator in response to the CO₂ content; and detecting the changing fluorescent signal over a period of time to indicate the presence of the mircroorganisms.

Claim 21

A method for detecting biological activities in a specimen, comprising the steps of: introducing a sample of the specimen and a culture medium into a sealable transparent container along with an inert, activatable fluorophore which is responsive to radiation within a predetermined wavelength band to emit a fluorescent signal in accordance with the intensity of radiation, and at least one optical indicator which is responsive to the concentration of a specific substance to change its optical characteristics, and sealing the same in the container; exposing the contents of the container to conditions enabling metabolic processes to take place in the presence of microorganisms in the sample, the concentration of inital substances being lowered and that of metabolic product substances being raised during the metabolic processes; applying radiation within the predetermined wavelength band to the contents of the container; generating and emitting a fluorescent signal with the fluorophore in accordance with the intensity of the radiation; modulating the intensity of the fluorescent signal emitted by the fluorophore with the at least one optical indicator in accordance with the optical characteristics of the at least one optical indicator established by the concentration of the specific substance due to conversion by the metabolic processes; and monitoring the modulated fluorescent signal over time for changes indicating the presence of microorganisms.

Claim 22

A method for detecting biological activities in a specimen, comprising the steps of: introducing a sample of the specimen and a culture medium into a sealable transparent container along with an inert activatable fluorophore which is responsive to radiation within a predetermined wavelength band to emit a fluorescent signal in accordance with the intensity of radiation thereon, and at least one optical indicator which is responsive to the concentration of a specific substance to change its optical characteristics, and sealing the same in the container; exposing the contens of the container to conditions enabling metabloic processes to take place in the presence of microorganisms in the sample, the concentration of initial substances being lowered and that of metabolic product substances being raised during the metabolic processes; applying radiation within the predetermined wavelength band to the contents of the container; modulating the radiaton, prior to it reaching the fluorophore, with the at least one optical indicator in response to the optical characteristics of the at least one optical indicator established by the concentration of the specific substance due to conversion by the metabolic processes; generating a fluorescent signal with the fluorophore in accordance with the intensity of the modulated radiation; and monitoring the fluorescent signal over time for changes indicating the presence of microorganisms.