The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 22, 1998
Filed:
Mar. 17, 1997
Atsumi Hirose, deceased, late of Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Susumu Seto, Kanawawa-ken, JP;
Takuji Kataoka, Shizuoka-ken, JP;
David Wang, Lexington, MA (US);
Nihon Millipore Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A rapid, convenient, and highly sensitive method and kit for counting the number of living microorganisms are disclosed. A test solution is filtrated through a membrane filter element having a plurarity of hydrophilic sections substantially perfectly separated from each other by hydrophobic partitions. A microparticulate spray is then applied to said filter in order to add extracting and luminescence-inducing reagents in such an amount that allows the filter membrane within each section to become wet. Thereafter the sample obtained is processed by applying a highly sensitive bioluminescence image analyzing system thereto. The employment of a spray method for applying the extracting and luminescence-inducing reagents allows to substantially perfectly entrap the reagents and extracted substances within each of the hydrophilic sections, thus enabling, when combined with the use of a bioluminescence image analyzing system, to rapidly count the number without any or substantial requirement of cultivation.