Detection device, system and method making it possible to detect the presence of a micro-organism in a sample or inside a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738864-B2
Application number	US-201414896817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2014
Priority date	Jun 11, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A device ( 10 ) for detecting the presence of at least one microorganism in the contents ( 101, 201 ) of a container ( 100, 200 ) comprising a wall with a translucent zone, said detection device ( 10 ) comprising:
a) at least one light source ( 11 ), such as a light-emitting diode (LED), capable of illuminating the contents of the container ( 100, 200 ) by emitting an excitation light beam through the translucent zone of the container ( 100, 200 ); b) at least one detection means ( 12, 13, 14, 15 ), such as a photodiode, for detecting at least one reaction light beam emitted in response to the illumination of the contents ( 101, 201 ) of the container ( 100, 200 );

said at least one light source ( 11 ) and said at least one detection means ( 12, 13, 14, 15 ) being equipped with at least one connection means ( 105, 205 ), to connect said at least one light source ( 11 ) and said at least one detection means ( 12, 13, 14, 15 ) to the wall of the container ( 100, 200 ), in the translucent zone, said at least one detection means ( 12, 13, 14, 15 ) being positioned at an angle of a set value in relation to the direction of the excitation light beam, to detect the reaction light beam.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A detection device for detecting the presence of at least one microorganism in the contents of a container comprising a wall with a translucent zone, said detection device comprising:
a) at least one light source configured to illuminate the contents of the container by emitting an excitation light beam through the translucent zone of the container;
b) at least one detector positioned at an angle of set value in relation to the direction of the excitation light beam to detect at least one reaction light beam emitted in response to the reaction of the excitation light beam with the contents of the container; and
c) at least one adjustable connector configured to attach the at least one light source and the at least one detector to an outside wall of the container at a first fixed position and in proximity to the translucent zone and permit movement of the at least one light source and the at least one detector in relation to the translucent zone to one or more other fixed positions on the outside wall of the container,

wherein the at least one connector is positioned entirely outside of the container.

2. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one detector comprises at least a first and a second photodetector positioned at a first and a second site in the translucent zone of the container to detect a first and a second reaction light beam and obtain a first and second value of an analysis parameter representative of a potential microbial presence in the contents of the container.

3. The detection device according to claim 2 , wherein the first photodetector comprises a red-filtered photodiode and the second photodetector comprises a green-filtered photodiode.

4. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one detector comprises a first photodetector configured to detect a first reaction light beam and obtain a value n of a first analysis parameter representative of a microbial presence in the contents of the container and a second photodetector configured to detect a second reaction light beam and obtain a value m of a second analysis parameter representative of a microbial presence in the contents of the container.

5. The detection device of claim 4 , wherein the first reaction light beam differs from the second reaction light beam.

6. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source comprises a light emitting diode.

7. The detection device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one detector comprises a photodiode.

8. A detection system comprising:
a detection device comprising:
a) at least one light source configured to illuminate the contents of a container by emitting an excitation light beam through a translucent zone of the container;
b) at least one detector positioned at an angle of set value in relation to the direction of the excitation light beam to detect at least one reaction light beam emitted in response to the reaction of the excitation light beam with the contents of the container;
c) at least one adjustable connector configured to attach the at least one light source and the at least one detector to an outside wall of the container at a first fixed position and in proximity to the translucent zone and permit movement of the at least one light source and the at least one detector in relation to the translucent zone to one or more other fixed positions on the outside wall of the container; and
d) a control device in communication with said at least one light source and said at least one detector, the control device being configured to control the excitation light beam emitted by said at least one light source and control one or more of the processing and analyzing of said at least one reaction light beam,

wherein the at least one connector is positioned entirely on the outside of the container.

9. The detection system according to claim 8 , wherein the control device further comprises:
a storage medium for storing a first value of a first and second analysis parameter obtained with said at least one detector and a second value of the first and second analysis parameter obtained after a set time period obtained with said at least one detector, the control device being configured to analyze
the first and second values of the first and second analysis parameter to determine a potential microbial growth in the contents of the container.

10. The detection system according to claim 8 , wherein the control device is configured to continuously receive and store values obtained with said at least one detector.

11. The detection system according to claim 8 , wherein the control device comprises an alarm configured to indicate a microbial presence in the contents of the container.

12. A method for detecting the presence of at least one microorganism in a sample, said method comprising:
introducing the sample into a container comprising a wall with at least one translucent zone;
employing a detection system to measure at least one value n of at least one analysis parameter representative of a microbial presence inside the container by:
illuminating the contents of the container through the translucent zone with the light source; and
detecting a reaction light beam emitted in response to illuminating the contents with at least one detector configured to obtain said value n of the analysis parameter, wherein the value n increases as the quantity of the at least one microorganism increases in the container;

comparing said value n with a threshold value ns of the same analysis parameter, said threshold value ns indicating the presence of at least one microorganism in the sample; and
deducing a contamination of the sample by the at least one microorganism if the value n is equal to or greater than the threshold value ns.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
the measuring of at least one analysis parameter of the value n comprises measuring the analysis parameter of which decreases as the quantity of said microorganism decreases; and
the deducing comprises deducing a contamination of the sample by said at least one microorganism if the value n is less than or equal to the threshold value ns.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the value n is associated with a fluorescence of the sample.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
the measuring of at least a first analysis parameter of a value n1 comprises measuring at least a first analysis parameter of which increases as the quantity of said microorganism increases and measuring at least a second analysis parameter of a value n2 of which decreases as the quantity of said microorganism decreases;
the comparing comprises comparing said value n1 with a threshold value ns1 associated with the first analysis parameter, and comparing said value n2 with a threshold value ns2 associated with the second analysis parameter; and
the deducing comprises deducing a contamination of the sample by said at least one microorganism if the value n1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value ns1 and if the value n2 is less than or equal to the threshold value ns2.

16. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising contacting the sample with a culture medium.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the culture medium is suitable to enable growth of the at least one microorganism.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the sample is contacted with the culture medium prior to introduction into the container, after introduction into the container or combination

Assignees

• Biomerieux Sa

Inventors

• Colin Bruno
• De La Foata Corinne
• Dachaud Jacques
• Made Fabienne

Classifications

• G01N2021/0112

  Apparatus in one mechanical, optical or electronic block · CPC title

• G01N2201/062

  LED's · CPC title

• G01N2201/12

  Circuits of general importance; Signal processing · CPC title

• G01N21/51 Primary

  inside a container, e.g. in an ampoule (G01N21/53 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C12M41/36 Primary

  of biomass, e.g. colony counters or by turbidity measurements (electrooptical investigation of individual particles G01N15/14, flow cytometers G01N15/1404) · CPC title