DEVICE FOR RAPID DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF SINGLE MICROOGANISMS WITHOUT PRELIMINARY GROWTH

摘要

This invention describes a device consisting of a micro-channel plate, filter, and porous holder for filter, which is substituted by a pure agar block during method performance, and supportive structural elements. The device is intended for rapid detection and/or identification of microorganisms. Microorganisms are trapped by filtration in long (diameter/length=1/10-1/100), cylindrical, parallel, microchannels that are open from both sides and attached to a filter from one side. A micro-channel plate houses a multiplicity of micro-channels (possible diameter of each channel=1-30 µm, length 100-1000 µm, and number on centimeter2-100,000-1,000,000). The micro-channel plate with cells trapped n the surface of the filter is attached to an agar block of the artificial substrate(s) so that the molecules of the artificial substrates will fill all micro-channels. Trapped cells produce colored or fluorescent molecules from artificial substrates. These molecules are collected in the very small volume of a micro-channel. The extremely small volume of a micro-channel (1/25 million part of a milliliter) allows it to collect a detectable concentration of color or fluorescent substances in a very short time (several minutes). Even one cell from a filtrated sample can be detected by the enzyme - artificial substrate method and/or identified by enzyme immunoassay.