Becton Dickinson and Company Limited

Patrick Shawn Beaty

Michael A Brasch

Ben Turng

Liping Feng

Timothy G Foley, Jr

Julie L Rosales

J Bruce Pitner

John Jacob Hemperly

David T Stitt

Richard David Guarino

Gregory J Burrell

Magdalena Wodnicka

Timothy M Wiles

Adrien P Malick

Brent Ronald Pohl

John D Mantlo

Charles C Yu

Kerry Lynn Smith

Ming-hsiung Yeh

Mei Yang-Woytowitz

Susan M Kircher

William B Brasso

Vanda White

Gary F Hershner

Suneil Hosmane

Dyan Luper

Donald Ray Callihan

James Y Zhou

Eric Ursprung

Xiaofei Chang

Curtis M Gosnell

Patrick R Murray

Jeffery H Bruton

David Polley

John P Douglass

Dwight Livingston

Ammon David Lentz

Kevin Bailey

Nicholas Robert Bachur, Jr

Gerard Lotz

Ming-Hsiung Yeh

A system and method with increased sensitivity to microorganism growth. The system includes signal processing electronic circuit connected to a consumable or vessel through two or more electrodes that fully penetrate the vessel and are in contact with the fluid contents. The electronic circuit is configured to detect a component of the total impedance of the sample, specifically the “out-of-phase” or imaginary reactance component, which has a sensitive response to organism growth in a frequency-dependent manner. The system detects changes in both the composition of charged molecules in the liquid matrix and the number of microorganisms based on monitoring the sample for change in this parameter. This results in a 5-70% reduction in time-to-detection (TTD). The system and method detect organisms in a plurality of vessel shapes, volumes, and matrix (or media) formats. The electrodes are fully immersed in a continuous body of liquid sample. The distance between electrodes may be adjusted or tuned to fit the needs of the vessel. The voltage inputs can also be adjusted to allow proper detection of the contents within the vessel.

Reactance and capacitance sensing platform for detecting microorganisms

An apparatus and associated methods of use for a controlled combination of reagents is disclosed. The apparatus includes a vessel, a vessel insert, and a cap element. The vesselhas a body portionfor receiving a biological sample. The vessel insertreceives at least one reagent therein. Preferably, the vessel insertis received in a portionof the vessel. The cap elementis attached to the vesselto secure the vessel insertin the vessel. During use, the vessel insertis adapted to release its contents when the biological sample is introduced into the body portionof the vesselupon application of an intermixing force to the vessel insert. A variety of intermixing forces may be applied, depending upon the embodiment of the present invention and its associated methods of use.

Blood culture bottles with mechanisms for controlled release of substances into culture media

Systems, methods, and apparatus for determining whether a culture in a vessel contains a plurality of microorganisms are provided. A normalization relative value is calculated for each respective measurement of a biological state of the culture between (i) the respective measurement and (ii) an initial biological state. For each fixed interval of time points, a derivative of the normalization relative values in the interval of time points is calculated, thereby forming a plurality of rate transformation values. For each set of rate transformation values in the plurality of rate transformation values, a measure of central tendency of the values in the set is computed, thereby forming a plurality of average relative transformation values. A determination whether the culture contains the microorganisms is made based on whether any calculated average relative transformation value exceeds a first threshold or whether an extent of growth exhibited by the culture exceeds a second threshold.

Systems and methods for identifying a culture as positive for microorganisms with high confidence

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for reagents and methods for rapidly isolating viable microbial cells, including, from positive blood culture samples. The resulting microbial pellet can be used for both identification and growth-based methods such as antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The buffers described herein may contain a base solution, non-ionic detergents, thiols, and optionally, ammonium chloride. The disclosed methods provide a process for rapidly isolating and concentrating viable microorganism(s) from PBC samples using only one sample preparation tube and centrifugation while removing cellular debris from the mammalian blood cells that may interfere with identification methods.

Formulations and process for isolating viable microorganisms from positive blood cultures

A system and method with increased sensitivity to microorganism growth. The system includes signal processing electronic circuit connected to a consumable or vessel through two or more electrodes that fully penetrate the vessel and are in contact with the fluid contents. The electronic circuit is configured to detect a component of the total impedance of the sample, specifically the 'out-of-phase' or imaginary reactance component, which has a sensitive response to organism growth in a frequency-dependent manner. The system detects changes in both the composition of charged molecules in the liquid matrix and the number of microorganisms based on monitoring the sample for change in this parameter. This results in a 5-70% reduction in time-to-detection (TTD). The system and method detect organisms in a plurality of vessel shapes, volumes, and matrix (or media) formats. The electrodes are fully immersed in a continuous body of liquid sample. The distance between electrodes may be adjusted or tuned to fit the needs of the vessel. The voltage inputs can also be adjusted to allow proper detection of the contents within the vessel.

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for reagents and methods for rapidly isolating viable microbial cells, including, from positive blood culture samples. The resulting microbial pellet can be used for both identification and growth-based methods such as antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The buffers described herein may contain a base solution, non-ionic detergents, thiols, and optionally, ammonium chloride. The disclosed methods provide a process for rapidly isolating and concentrating viable microorganism (s) from PBC samples using only one sample preparation tube and centrifugation while removing cellular debris from the mammalian blood cells that may interfere with identification methods.

Systems, methods and apparatus for determining an amount of blood in a blood culture are provided where an initial biological state and then periodic measurements of the biological state of the culture are taken. For each respective measurement, a normalization relative value between the respective measurement and the initial measurement is made thereby forming normalization relative values. For each interval of time points represented by the normalization relative values, a first derivative of the normalization relative values in the interval is made thereby forming a plurality of rate transformation values. For each set of rate transformation values in the plurality of rate transformation values, an average relative transformation value is computed, thereby forming average relative transformation values. A lookup table that matches a measure of central tendency of the average relative transformation values to a blood amount is used to determine the amount of blood in the culture.

Determination of blood volume in a culture bottle

High confidence in positive status determination

A system and method employing infrared laser spectrography and dual wavelength modulation to monitor the concentration of a gas, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, in the sample vial, or to monitor the pressure in the sample vial, to thus detect for microorganism growth in the sample vial. The system and method each employ an energy emitting device, such as an infrared laser, a detector and a signal analyzer, such as a spectroscopy device. The infrared laser emits toward the container infrared energy having a substantially single wavelength substantially equal to a wavelength at which the gas absorbs the infrared energy. The detector detects a portion of the energy signal that passes through the container, and the signal analyzer spectroscopically analyzes the detected portion of the energy signal to determine whether the gas exists in the container, or to determine the pressure in the container. The system and method thus determines whether an organism or cell of interest is present or viable in the container based on the results of the gas or pressure detection.

System and method for optically monitoring the concentration of a gas, or the pressure, in a sample vial to detect sample growth

The present invention relates to methods for detection and evaluation of metabolic activity of eukaryotic and/or prokaryotic cells based upon their ability to consume dissolved oxygen. The methods utilize a luminescence detection system which makes use of the sensitivity of the luminescent emission of certain compounds to the presence of oxygen, which quenches (diminishes) the compound's luminescent emission in a concentration dependent manner. Respiring eukaryotic and/or prokaryotic cells will affect the oxygen concentration of a liquid medium in which they are immersed. Thus, this invention provides a convenient system to gather information on the presence, identification, quantification and cytotoxic activity of eukaryotic and/or prokaryotic cells by determining their effect on the oxygen concentration of the media in which they are present.

Luminescent method for determining cell oxygen consumption

Device for monitoring cells

Growing community of inventors

Dallastown, PA, United States of America

Patrick Shawn Beaty