JP2013217707A - Specimen sampling tool and specimen sampling kit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a specimen sampling tool allowed to be used for specimen sampling in an infection inspection or the like and capable of being simply and safely disposed after its use to prevent pollution expansion, secondary infection, and so on in a peripheral environment.SOLUTION: The specimen sampling tool for sampling a specimen is composed of a tip shaft having a specimen sampling part on its tip, a hollow shaft having an inner diameter successively larger than an outer diameter of the shaft existing in the inside and a hollow shaft having a grip part on the end and having the largest diameter and is configured so that inside shafts are successively slid into the outside shafts and stored in an extraction container.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sample collection kit including an extendable sample collection tool and an extraction container that can be accommodated in a state where a shaft portion of the sample collection tool is contracted.

  Samples for infectious disease tests include those that directly collect mucosal epidermis from infected sites such as the nasal cavity and pharynx, such as influenza tests, urine samples for pneumococcal and Legionella antigen tests, norovirus and O -157 Some samples are collected from a site away from the infected site, such as collecting feces for antigen testing.

  Examples of the sample collection tool used for collecting the sample for the infectious disease test as described above include a cotton swab. Such a sample collection part of a cotton swab is made of a material such as cotton, rayon, polyester, urethane, etc., and there are a spherical shape, an ellipsoidal shape, a spiral shape, and the like. The shaft is generally known to be made of paper, wood, metal, plastic or the like. Currently, disposable products are widely used and used in clinical settings from the viewpoint of hygiene.

  In general, when performing an infectious disease test using an immunochromatography measurement kit or the like, first, the sample collection part of the sample collection tool for collecting the sample is immersed in the extraction liquid in the extraction container, and the container side wall portion is sufficiently exposed from the outside. Stir or lightly agitate. Then, while squeezing out the liquid using the sample collection unit, the sample collection tool is withdrawn from the container, and a certain amount of the obtained sample suspension is dropped into the sample injection unit of the measurement kit for measurement. Yes.

  In specimen collection for influenza testing, the specimen collection tool is inserted in the back of the nasal cavity and throat, so that not only the specimen collection part but also the shaft part is contaminated with bacteria, viruses, etc. along with body fluids such as nasal discharge and saliva. there is a possibility. From such a situation, it is inappropriate from the viewpoint of hygiene to place the used specimen collection tool in a state where it can come into contact with the outside.

  Furthermore, pathogenic Escherichia coli O-157 and Norovirus are very stable in the air and retain infectivity for a long time. Since these bacteria and viruses have strong infectivity, they can be infected and develop even with a small amount of bacteria or virus. In particular, norovirus becomes dust when the vomit and feces of infected patients are dried, and the virus easily floats in the air along with these dusts. Therefore, sufficient care must be taken when disposing of used specimen collection tools and extraction containers.

  If the sample contains such highly infectious viruses or microorganisms, the sample collection tool after the extraction operation can be removed from the extraction container and placed in contact with the outside to further contaminate the surrounding environment. It was a problem because it could increase the sexiness and cause secondary infections such as hospital infections and hospital infections.

  However, in the infectious disease test, it is necessary to take out the sample collection tool after the extraction operation from the extraction container, which takes time and effort. Also, in consideration of hygiene, in waste management, after sample extraction operation, sample collection tools or extraction residual liquid with attached infectious samples that are not preferably in contact with the outside are sealed in the extraction container. A specimen collection kit that can be discarded as it is is desired.

  For example, Japanese Patent No. 481030 describes a test kit that can be sealed in an extraction container by collecting a sample from a nasal cavity or throat for infectious disease inspection and without folding a cotton swab after the extraction operation. Yes.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-14365 describes an extraction kit that can accommodate a cotton swab having a relatively short shaft used in an adenovirus test or the like in an extraction container.

  However, in order to accommodate the cotton swab in the extraction container without being bent, the size of the extraction container will increase in accordance with the cotton swab. There is a demand for downsizing of a sample collection kit.

  In addition, when collecting specimens for respiratory infections such as influenza, it is necessary to insert a cotton swab into the back of the nasal cavity and throat. It is inappropriate in terms of safety and hygiene because of the fear of touching, and the shaft part of the swab needs a sufficient length.

Patent No. 481030 JP 2009-14365

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and from a hygienic viewpoint, a specimen having infectivity that is not preferably brought into contact with the outside, such as a specimen containing a virus or a microorganism having a strong infectivity, is attached. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small sample collection kit that can be sealed and discarded without touching an external sample collection tool or the like and that is easy to operate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a sample collecting tool for collecting a sample, which is successively larger than an outer diameter of a tip shaft having a sample collecting portion at the tip and an inner shaft. A specimen collecting tool comprising a hollow shaft having an inner diameter and a hollow shaft having the largest diameter having a grip portion at the end, wherein the inner shaft is slidably accommodated in the outer shaft. I will provide a.

  Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided a sample collection kit comprising the sample collection tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and an extraction container in which the sample collection tool is stored in a contracted state. The

  According to the sample collection tool of the present invention, in the examination of infectious diseases such as influenza, the shaft of the sample collection tool has a sufficient length suitable for use when collecting a sample, but the shaft after extraction or disposal By applying a certain amount of pressure in the longitudinal direction, the shaft portion can be easily reduced, so that it can be compactly accommodated in the extraction container.

  In addition, since the used sample collection tool in a reduced state can be sealed in the extraction container together with the extraction residual liquid, the risk of infection due to scattering of the sample can be prevented, and the test kit can be discarded simply and hygienically. Can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows the sample collection tool of this invention. (A) is the state which extended the axial part to the length suitable for use, (b) is the figure of the state which shrunk the axial part. It is a partial explanatory view showing an embodiment of a shaft part of a sample collecting tool having a multistage structure. It is an example of the extraction container which accommodates the sample collection tool. (A) is a diagram of a state in which the sample collection tool is inserted into the container, (b) is a diagram of a state in which the sample collection tool having a reduced shaft portion is accommodated in the container, and (c) is a longitudinal section of the nozzle shown in (b). FIG. (A) is a figure which shows the usage method of the sample collection kit of this invention provided with the test strip for immunochromatography measurement, the sample collection tool of the state which reduced the axial part, and the container for extraction, (b) is this invention. The top view of the test strip for immunochromatography measurement provided with the membrane support | carrier of (2), (c) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of (b).

  In the present invention, the hollow shaft has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the inner shaft, and the inner shaft is slid and accommodated in the outer shaft, and the shaft portion is reduced. It is characterized by. The hollow shaft is preferably composed of a plurality, and particularly preferably two or more. Furthermore, the material of the hollow shaft is not particularly limited, and paper, wood, metal, and plastic are generally used. Of these, plastic is preferably used from the viewpoint of ease of processing.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that each member constituting the shaft portion of the sample collecting tool is processed to prevent withdrawal or pull-in. The form is not particularly limited, but in order to prevent the shaft from coming out, the distal end shaft and the shaft end portion of the hollow shaft are provided with an enlarged diameter portion, and the shaft tip portion of the hollow shaft is provided with a reduced diameter portion, further preventing the shaft from being pulled in. Therefore, it is desirable that an inward protrusion is provided in the vicinity of the reduced diameter portion.

  The sample collection tool of the present invention has a sufficient length suitable for insertion into the nasal cavity and throat in the sample collection for infectious diseases such as influenza, but in the axial direction when the extraction container is inserted. By applying a certain amount of pressure, the inner shaft slides inside the outer shaft, the shaft portion shrinks, and can be sealed in the container.

  In the present invention, the tip shaft is a shaft having a sample collection part at the tip, and the shape of the tip shaft is not particularly limited, but is formed from a flexible material from the viewpoint of ease of sample collection and safety. It is desirable that Examples of the material having flexibility include commonly used plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc.), engineer plastics (polyamide, polycarbonate, etc.), super engineer plastics (polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, etc.), and the like. .

  In the present invention, the specimen collection part is not particularly limited, but is generally composed of a material made of a fiber material (cotton, rayon, polyester, etc.) or a porous material (urethane etc.), and the shape is spherical, elliptical, A spiral shape or a surface obtained by flocking the surface of the specimen collection part with a short fiber can be used.

  Samples that can be used in the present invention include biological samples such as urine, stool, saliva, nasal discharge, sputum, blood, serum, and the like, which are collected using the sample collection tool of the present invention, and extracted in an extraction container. A sample to be analyzed in which the substance to be analyzed is uniformly dispersed can be obtained simply by dispersing or dissolving it therein.

  There are no particular restrictions on the substance to be analyzed. For example, tuberculosis bacteria contained in sputum, pathogenic bacteria such as O-157 contained in stool, influenza virus contained in nasal wipes, adenos contained in throat swabs Examples include viruses and antigens such as C-reactive protein contained in blood and various antibodies.

  The sample collection kit of the present invention comprises the sample collection tool of the present invention and an extraction container. According to the present invention, the extraction container includes the sample collection tool in which the shaft portion is contracted by applying a certain amount of pressure in the axial longitudinal direction so as to press the tip of the sample collection portion against the closed end of the container body. Can be accommodated. The container may be configured such that the specimen collection tool can be sealed inside the container by sealing the open end of the container body. Further, the container may include a portion that can fix the specimen collection unit so that pressure can be easily applied to the closed end of the container body in the axial longitudinal direction.

  The use of the sample collection kit of the present invention is not particularly limited, but it is preferably used for testing for infectious diseases such as influenza.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following specific examples.

  The specimen is collected by wiping the biological sample and the affected part with the specimen collecting tool 1 of the present invention. The sample collection tool 1 of the present invention after sample collection is inserted from the open end 36 of the extraction container main body 3, the sample collection unit 11 is immersed in the extract, and the collected sample is dissolved or dispersed in the extract. . By applying pressure in the longitudinal direction of the shaft so as to press the specimen collecting portion 11 against the closed end 35 of the container body 3, the inner shaft slides into the outer shaft and the shaft portion contracts, whereby the container 3 can be accommodated.

  It is preferable that the closed end 35 of the extraction container main body 3 and the side wall portion 32 adjacent to the closed end 35 are configured to fix the sample collection unit 11 of the sample collection tool 1. For example, the sample collection tool 1 can be stably fixed by making the diameter in the vicinity of the closed end 35 of the container body 3 smaller than the diameter in the vicinity of the opening end 36 of the container body 3 in accordance with the sample collection unit 11. The form to do is mentioned.

  Thereafter, the nozzle 4 with the lid 5 attached is attached to the open end 36 of the extraction container body 3 and sealed, whereby the sample collection tool 1 can be sealed in the container 3 together with the extraction liquid. In this state, the sample adhering to the sample collection unit 11 can be well dispersed by shaking the entire extraction container 3 by hand, and the sample and the extract can be sufficiently mixed.

  After removing only the lid 5 from the nozzle part 41, a certain amount of the extract of the specimen in the extraction container 3 is dropped into the sample injection part 61 of the test kit with the nozzle 4 facing downward. At that time, the extract passes through the filter 47 disposed in the discharge path 45 of the nozzle 4 and is discharged from the nozzle 4.

The side wall portion 32 adjacent to the closed end 35 of the extraction container body 3 is preferably formed more flexibly than the side wall portion 31 adjacent to the opening end 36 of the container body 3. Specifically, the side wall portion 32 can be deformed by being pushed by hand. However, it is preferable that the side wall portion 32 has flexibility enough to return to the original shape when the hand is released. As described above, as a method of making the side wall portion 32 adjacent to the closed end 35 of the container body 3 more flexible than the side wall portion 31 adjacent to the opening end 36, it is adjacent to the closed end 35 of the container body 3. Examples thereof include a method of making the thickness of the side wall portion 32 thinner than the thickness of the side wall portion 31 adjacent to the opening end 36.
By configuring as described above, when the extraction liquid is dropped from the nozzle 4, the user can easily press the side wall portion 32 with a finger so that the extraction liquid can be quickly discharged from the nozzle. Is convenient.

After the extraction liquid is discharged, the extraction container 3 is again sealed with the lid 5 so that the extraction residual liquid does not leak to the outside.
As described above, the sample collection kit 1 can be discarded as it is in a state where the used sample collection tool 1 and the extraction residual liquid are sealed in the extraction container 3 as described above. The possibility of polluting the surrounding environment is low and handling is easy.

Experimental example 1
In Example 1, a method for performing measurement will be described using an immunochromatography measurement kit used for influenza testing as an example.

  The specimen collection tool 1 of the present invention was prepared by being stretched to a length suitable for use. Hold the gripping part 14 of the specimen collection tool 1, slowly insert the specimen collection part 11 into the nasal cavity of an influenza-infected patient, bring the specimen collection part 11 into contact with the infection site at the back of the nasal cavity, and gently rub it several times. Mucosal epidermis was collected. The sample collection tool 1 was slowly pulled out from the nasal cavity while rotating.

  Then, it inserted in the extraction container 3 from the sample collection part 11 of the sample collection tool 1, was immersed in the extraction liquid, and extracted from the outside of the container 3 by sufficiently swallowing. The sample collection tool 1 was fitted with a nozzle 4 after the shaft portion was contracted by applying a certain amount of force in the longitudinal direction of the shaft and accommodated in the container 3. As a result of dropping the extracted sample onto an immunochromatography measurement kit and measuring it, it was determined that the sample was positive for influenza, and the sample collection tool 1 of the present invention could be used without any problem for sample collection from the nasal cavity. Furthermore, the used specimen collection tool was discarded in a state sealed in the extraction container 3 together with the extraction residual liquid, and hygiene stability was confirmed.

Experimental example 2
In this Example 2, a method for performing measurement will be described using an immunochromatography measurement kit used for testing pathogenic E. coli O-157 as an example.

  In a state where the sample collection tool 1 of the present invention is stretched, the sample collection unit 11 is inserted into the stool so as to pierce the stool and a necessary amount of the stool sample is collected.

  Then, it inserted in the extraction container 3 from the sample collection part 11 of the sample collection tool 1 and immersed in the extract, and the stool adhering to the sample collection part 11 was fully eluted. The sample collecting tool 1 was fitted with a nozzle after the shaft was contracted by applying a certain amount of force in the longitudinal direction of the shaft and accommodated in the container 3. As a result of dropping the extracted specimen onto an immunochromatography measurement kit and measuring it, it was determined that the pathogenic Escherichia coli O-157 was positive, and the specimen collection tool 1 of the present invention could be used without difficulty for specimen collection from stool. Furthermore, the used specimen collection tool 1 can be discarded in a state sealed in the extraction container 3 together with the extraction residual liquid, and safety in terms of hygiene has been confirmed.

  It is used to collect infectious bacteria and viruses from the patient's nose, throat, conjunctiva, etc., and can be widely applied to infectious disease tests and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sample collection tool, 11 ... Sample collection part, 12 ... Tip axis, 13 ... Hollow shaft, 14 ... Holding part, 21 ... Diameter expansion part, 22 ... Shrinkage Diameter part, 23 ... Inward projection, 3 ... Extraction container main body, 31, 32 ... Side wall part, 33 ... Gutter part, 34 ... Male screw part, 35 ... Closed end, 36 ... Open end, 4 ... Nozzle, 41 ... Nozzle part, 42 ... Cylindrical part, 43 ... Bridge part, 44 ... Male thread part, 45 ... Discharge part, 46 .. -Female thread part, 47 ... Filter, 5 ... Lid, 51 ... Female thread part, 6 ... Case, 61 ... Sample injection part, 62 ... Judgment window, 63 ... Air vent Opening, 7 ... Membrane carrier, 71, 71a, 71b ... Determination part, 72 ... Control part, 8 ... Test Strip, 81... Sample addition member, 82... Impregnation member, 83... Absorption member, 84.

Claims (9)

  A sample collecting tool for collecting a sample, a tip shaft having a sample collecting portion at the tip, a hollow shaft having an inner diameter slightly larger than an outer diameter of the inner shaft, and a gripping portion at the end A specimen collecting tool comprising a hollow shaft having a large diameter, wherein the inner shaft is slidably accommodated in the outer shaft.   2. The specimen collection tool according to claim 1, wherein the hollow shaft is composed of two or more.   In order to prevent the shaft from coming out, each of the distal end portion of the tip shaft and the hollow shaft is provided with an enlarged diameter portion, and the distal end portion of the shaft of the hollow shaft is provided with a reduced diameter portion. The specimen collection tool according to claim 2, wherein an inward projection is provided in the vicinity of   The sample collecting tool according to claim 3, wherein the tip shaft having the sample collecting portion at the tip is made of a flexible material.   The specimen collecting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaft portion can be reduced by applying pressure in the longitudinal direction of the shaft.   The specimen collecting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the specimen collecting tool is used for an infectious disease test.   A sample collection kit comprising the sample collection tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and an extraction container in which the sample collection tool is stored in a contracted state.   8. The sample collection kit according to claim 7, wherein the extraction container includes a portion capable of fixing the sample collection unit when pressure is applied in the axial longitudinal direction in order to reduce the sample collection tool at the closed end.   The sample collection kit according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein the kit is used for an infectious disease test.

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