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US4030980A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Apparatus and method for identification of selected clinical yeast

Assignee: Corning Glass Works
•
Filing: 1975-05-15
•
Granted: 1977-06-21
•
Expires: 1995-05-15
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Abstract

Abstract An apparatus for the identification of a number of the most frequently isolated medical yeasts employing a single tube and a multi-cavity plate. The tube contains sterile, liquid media to test for germ-tube production. The plate is composed of eleven, independently sealed peripheral wells, containing sterile solid media for the performance of urea, carbohydrate and nitrate tests. A central, optically transparent well contains corn-meal-tween agar for the morphological examination of the yeasts. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus and method for the identification of yeasts and other microorganisms. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present apparatus was devised to provide an apparatus useful for identification of organisms employing various media. One application of the apparatus is to identify medically important yeasts such as C. albicans, C. stellatoidea, C. pseudotropicalis, C. tropicalis, C. guillermondii, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, T. glabrata, S. cerevisiae, Tr. cutaneum Tr. pulluens, Cr. neoformans, Cr. laurentii, Cr. terreus, Cr. albidus, Geotrichum spp., R. glutinis and R. rubra. The scheme disclosed hereinafter to identify the aforementioned yeasts are based on data for reactions from "The Yeasts": 1971 J. Lodder (editor); "Identification of Yeasts": Webb, Papageorge and Hill, 1971; United States Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control Bullentin; and "A Guide to the Yeast and Yeast-Like Fungi of Medical Significance": Roth,F. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the identification of a number of the most frequently isolated clinical yeasts. It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for identifying clinical bacteria utilizing a multicavity plate and single tube. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-cavity plate comprised of discrete wells readily adaptable to automatic loading of test media. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved multi-cavity plate including removable sterile seal means. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a multi-cavity media plate having discrete inoculation wells to permit visual and microscopic observation of culture growth that is readily mass produced by conventional vacuum molding, injection molding, blow molding and the like. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will, in part, be pointed out with particularity and will, in part, become obvious from the following more detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, which forms an integral part thereof.

Inventors

  • 👤 Orville A. Beckford
  • 👤 Helen F. B. Dauzickas

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-27 08:48
CPC Classifications
C; C12; C12M; C12M23/00; C12M23/02; C12M23/12; C12M23/22; C12M23/38; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S435/00; Y10S435/8215; Y10S435/911; Y10S435/921; Y10S435/922; Y10S435/924; Y10S435/94; Y10S435/942

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim 81 words
Apparatus to grow and identify a number of isolated cultures including: a plate including a plurality of discrete spaced wells defined by substantially vertical walls and an integral bottom wall, a cover member disposed on said plate sealing the individual tops of said wells; and, aperture means extending through a said vertical wall in communication with a respective one of each of said wells to expose the same to atmospheric air whereby a number of isolated cultures may be concomitantly grown.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 81 words
Apparatus to grow and identify a number of isolated cultures including: a plate including a plurality of discrete spaced wells defined by substantially vertical walls and an integral bottom wall, a cover member disposed on said plate sealing the individual tops of said wells; and, aperture means extending through a said vertical wall in communication with a respective one of each of said wells to expose the same to atmospheric air whereby a number of isolated cultures may be concomitantly grown.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 20 words
The apparatus of claim 1, said plate including a central well around which said plurality of wells are radially spaced.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 43 words
The apparatus of claim 2, a cap adapted to detachably sit upon and cover said plate, said cap including means spacing the same from said plate to permit air to pass therebetween and into said wells, through the aperture means, and central well.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 27 words
The apparatus of claim 3, said spacing means comprising bosses formed in said cap to space the same from said plate when in detachable covering engagement therewith.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
The apparatus of claim 3, including culture media disposed in each of said plurality of wells with said plate being substantially of circular cross section.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 39 words
The apparatus of claim 1 including a seal means adapted to detachably sit upon said plate and air tightly cover said aperture means and thereby preserve the sterility and independent integrity of each of said plurality of spaced wells.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 17 words
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said seal means is a heat shrink film surrounding said plate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 40 words
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the rim region of protective cover is adapted to fit under and be detachably held by said rim seal to afford added protection to said cover member and wells including said central one thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 19 words
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said seal includes a tear strip to facilitate removal thereof from said plate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 20 words
The apparatus of claim 1, a protective cover detachably deposed over said central well to maintain the clinical integrity thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 27 words
The apparatus of claim 10, said protective cover substantially coextensive with the area of said plate to cover said wells radially spaced around said central one thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 32 words
The apparatus of claim 1 including means for indexing said plate to provide for the automatic loading of each of said plurality of wells through a respective one of said aperture means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 25 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said indexing means includes one said well having an outer shape differing from that of the other said wells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 29 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cover member includes indicia carried thereon in registration with a respective one of said plurality of wells to indicate the contents thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 16 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plate and cover are formed of a transparent plastic.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 35 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the respective culture media deposited in each of said plurality of wells includes urea, sucrose, lactose, maltose, raffinose, cellobiose, soluble starch, trehalose, sugar control, nitrate and nitrate control media.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 23 words
The apparatus of claim 16, in combination with a tube containing a sterile liquid media to test for the induction of germ tubes.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3179574A Cited
US3165450A Cited
US3597326A Cited
US3886047A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1980-06-20 1980-12-20 1981-06-21 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1984-06-20 1984-12-20 1985-06-21 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1988-06-20 1988-12-20 1989-06-21 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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