US3969496A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Use of radioisotopes for rapid identification of microorganisms
Assignee: Dominari Holdings Inc
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Filing: 1973-12-28
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Granted: 1976-07-13
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Expires: 1993-12-28
Abstract
Abstract There is disclosed a process for the rapid identification of a microorganism and an apparatus for performing the method. The process comprises inoculating a number of different 14C labeled substrates with an unknown organism, at least some of said 14C labeled substrates being capable of being metabolized to 14CO2 by certain specific microorganisms. The substrates are incubated for a time sufficient to cause metabolic breakdown of at least some of said substrates resulting in the production of 14CO2 and analysis for radioactivity in the 14CO2 which is evolved from those substrates which are metabolized is performed to determine which substrates are metabolized and which substrates are not metabolized by the unknown microorganisms. There is thereby obtained a substrate radiorespirometric profile for the unknown microorganisms which is compared to standard radiorespirometric profiles for known organisms to determine to which standard radiorespirometric profile the radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganisms corresponds.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph R. Schrot
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 16:36
CPC Classifications
C; C12; C12Q; C12Q1/00; C12Q1/02; C12Q1/04; C12Q1/16; C12M; C12M41/00; C12M41/30; C12M41/36; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S435/00; Y10S435/80; Y10S435/807; Y10S435/8215; Y10S435/822; Y10S435/848; Y10S435/849; Y10S435/852; Y10S435/873; Y10S435/874; Y10S435/875; Y10S435/879; Y10S435/88; Y10S435/881
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A process for the rapid identification of a microorganism which comprises inoculating a number of different 14 C labeled substrates with an unknown microorganism, at least some of said 14 C labeled substrates being capable of being metabolized to 14 CO 2 by certain specific microorganisms, incubating said substrates for a time sufficient to cause metabolic breakdown of at least some of said substrates resulting in the production of 14 CO 2 , analyzing for radioactivity in the CO 2 which is evolved from those substrates which are metabolized to determine which substrates are metabolized and to what extent by said unknown microorganisms, thereby obtaining a substrate radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism, comparing said substrate radiorespirometric profile to standard radiorespirometric profiles for known microorganisms obtained by the same process by which the substrate radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism was obtained and determining to which standard radiorespirometric profile the radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism corresponds.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
A process for the rapid identification of a microorganism which comprises inoculating a number of different 14 C labeled substrates with an unknown microorganism, at least some of said 14 C labeled substrates being capable of being metabolized to 14 CO 2 by certain specific microorganisms, incubating said substrates for a time sufficient to cause metabolic breakdown of at least some of said substrates resulting in the production of 14 CO 2 , analyzing for radioactivity in the CO 2 which is evolved from those substrates which are metabolized to determine which substrates are metabolized and to what extent by said unknown microorganisms, thereby obtaining a substrate radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism, comparing said substrate radiorespirometric profile to standard radiorespirometric profiles for known microorganisms obtained by the same process by which the substrate radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism was obtained and determining to which standard radiorespirometric profile the radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism corresponds.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
115 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein at least some of said standard substrate radiorespirometric profiles are obtained by inoculating a number of different 14 C labeled substrates with a known microorganism, at least some of said substrates being capable of being metabolized to 14 CO 2 by said known microorganism incubating all of said substrates for a time sufficient to metabolize at least some of said substrates resulting in the production of 14 CO 2 , analyzing for evolved radioactive 14 CO 2 from each of said substrates to determine which substrates have been metabolized by said known microorganisms and to what extent, thereby establishing a standard radiorespirometric profile for said known microorganism.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
124 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein at least some of said standard substrate radiorespirometric profiles are obtained by inoculating a number of different 14 C labeled substrates with an unknown microorganism, at least some of said substrates being capable of being metabolized to 14 CO 2 by said unknown microorganism, incubating all of said substrates for a time sufficient to metabolize at least some of said substrates resulting in the production of 14 CO 2 , analyzing for evolved radioactive 14 CO 2 from each of said substrates to determine which substrates have been metabolized by said unknown microorganism and to what extent, thereby establishing a standard radiorespirometric profile for said unknown microorganism and thereafter identifying said unknown microorganism by biochemical methods.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said microorganism is identified by genus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said microorganism is identified as a particular species within a genus.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said substrates do not require the presence of inducible enzymes for metabolism to take place.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said substrates contains at least 4 nanocuries of radioactivity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said inoculated substrates is incubated for from 5 minutes to 4 hours.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein any 14 CO 2 which is evolved from each substrate during incubation is collected by means of a getter card.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process as defined in claim 9 wherein any 14 CO 2 evolved from each substrate is measured by assaying for radioactivity by means of an instrument which contains Geiger tubes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said unknown microorganism is an isolation specimen which contains inhibitors for the growth of all microorganisms except certain species.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein the total volume of inoculum plus substrate is between 0.05 to 0.2 ml.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-07-13 | 1980-01-12 | 1980-07-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-07-13 | 1984-01-12 | 1984-07-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-07-13 | 1988-01-12 | 1988-07-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |