IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS BY INFRARED ANALYSIS OF EVOLVED CARBON DIOXIDE

摘要

A method and apparatus for the identification of a microorganism in a sample is provided. The microorganism is exposed to conditions conducive to growth in the presence of a plurality of growth substrates which are individually inoculated with the microorganism. The presence or absence of carbon dioxide as a by-product of the metabolism of these substrates is detected by infrared analysis and provides a profile of the unknown microorganism. Identification is accomplished by comparing this profile with profiles of known microorganisms treated in the same way.