Instrument and system for rapid microorganism identification and antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing

• Main Authors: Mensack, Meghan, Ghusson, Andrew, Showalter, Wayne, Turng, Ben, Mette, Matthew, Ketterer, Matthew, Gusyatin, Oleg, Cote, Jasmin, Prisbrey, Landon, Richards, Paul, Ashby, Austin, Halbert, Phillip C, Michel, Carlos, Bourgeois, Solene, Shamsheyeva, Alena, Harrison, Josh, Reinhardt, Kurt, Marshall, Kevin, Gamage, Dulini, Hance, Ken, Richards, William L, Metzger, Steven W, Allers, Elke
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.04.2019
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; ENZYMOLOGY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; SPIRITS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE

A system for automated microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing comprising a reagent cartridge, a reagent stage, a cassette, a cassette, stage, a pipettor assembly, an optical detection system, and a controller is disclosed. The system is designed to dynamically adjust motor idle torque to control heat load and employs a fast focus process for determining the true focus position of an individual microorganism. The system also may quantify the relative abundance of viable microorganisms in a sample using dynamic dilution, and facilitate growth of microorganisms in customized media for rapid, accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Automated quality control test components and methods of their use are also disclosed.