CA1071144A - Hollow flexible cap to open and seal end portion of glass ampoule - Google Patents
Hollow flexible cap to open and seal end portion of glass ampouleInfo
- Publication number
- CA1071144A CA1071144A CA304,235A CA304235A CA1071144A CA 1071144 A CA1071144 A CA 1071144A CA 304235 A CA304235 A CA 304235A CA 1071144 A CA1071144 A CA 1071144A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- end portion
- cap
- container
- sealed end
- tube
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Measuring Or Testing Involving Enzymes Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
- Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A flexible cap for a glass container having a narrow sealed neck such as a heat-sealed ampoule or vial is provided which performs the dual function of a) permitting opening of the container by breaking of the narrow sealed neck through pres-sure exerted on the flexible cap in the vicinity of the narrow neck and b) enclosing the opened container to protect and seal the contents thereof.
A flexible cap for a glass container having a narrow sealed neck such as a heat-sealed ampoule or vial is provided which performs the dual function of a) permitting opening of the container by breaking of the narrow sealed neck through pres-sure exerted on the flexible cap in the vicinity of the narrow neck and b) enclosing the opened container to protect and seal the contents thereof.
Description
--`` 107~44 This application is a division of application Serial No. 233,326, filed August 12, 1975.
The present invention is concerned with an analytical device and more particularly with a method for the rapid detec-tion of microorganisms from an isolating medium, that is to say the enabling of a diagnosis by a process of elimination in the case of a search for a particular microbe.
It is known in the art that reactions of bacteria in a liquid nutritive medium can take place in test tubes, with the liquid medium necessary for the growth of bacteria having been freshly prepared just prior to the reaction. Furthermore, cer-tain reactions, such as bacterial reactions in a urea-indole medium, denature the reaction medium, which eliminates the possibility of conducting other reactions in the same medium at a later time. These reactions, have the further disadvantage of occurring very slowly. The reading of a reaction in a urea-indole medium for example is only possible after about four hours. Other reactions are achieved by immersing reactive test strips in the test tubes. This procedure presents the incon-venience because it necessitates a dense medium and equally be-cause it denatures the reaction medium, which as mentioned above prevents the medium from being utilized further.
The present invention substantially alleviates the aforementioned problems by providing an analytical device in-cluding a test strip which enables the obtaining of rapid re-sults and enables the bacteria being tested to effect the ultimate reactions in liquid media. The present invention is also con-cerned with a process for determining a microorganism such as a bacterium and a novel cover for glass ampoules.
In one embodiment of this invention an analytical device is provided which comprises in combination.
(a) a tube adapted to receive a portion of a nutri--- 1 -- :
'. ~
07~44 tive liquid medium containing an unknown bacterium and having means for sealing-off said tube, and (b) a test strip comprising:
(1) at least one liquid-reactive surface in-tended to be immersed in said liquid medium, said surface con-taining in a dry state some nutritive elements complementary to the nutritive elements in the liquid medium and a reagent which reacts with said bacterium, said reagent being incapable of in-hibiting growth of said bacterium and being non-toxic to said bacterium, and
The present invention is concerned with an analytical device and more particularly with a method for the rapid detec-tion of microorganisms from an isolating medium, that is to say the enabling of a diagnosis by a process of elimination in the case of a search for a particular microbe.
It is known in the art that reactions of bacteria in a liquid nutritive medium can take place in test tubes, with the liquid medium necessary for the growth of bacteria having been freshly prepared just prior to the reaction. Furthermore, cer-tain reactions, such as bacterial reactions in a urea-indole medium, denature the reaction medium, which eliminates the possibility of conducting other reactions in the same medium at a later time. These reactions, have the further disadvantage of occurring very slowly. The reading of a reaction in a urea-indole medium for example is only possible after about four hours. Other reactions are achieved by immersing reactive test strips in the test tubes. This procedure presents the incon-venience because it necessitates a dense medium and equally be-cause it denatures the reaction medium, which as mentioned above prevents the medium from being utilized further.
The present invention substantially alleviates the aforementioned problems by providing an analytical device in-cluding a test strip which enables the obtaining of rapid re-sults and enables the bacteria being tested to effect the ultimate reactions in liquid media. The present invention is also con-cerned with a process for determining a microorganism such as a bacterium and a novel cover for glass ampoules.
In one embodiment of this invention an analytical device is provided which comprises in combination.
(a) a tube adapted to receive a portion of a nutri--- 1 -- :
'. ~
07~44 tive liquid medium containing an unknown bacterium and having means for sealing-off said tube, and (b) a test strip comprising:
(1) at least one liquid-reactive surface in-tended to be immersed in said liquid medium, said surface con-taining in a dry state some nutritive elements complementary to the nutritive elements in the liquid medium and a reagent which reacts with said bacterium, said reagent being incapable of in-hibiting growth of said bacterium and being non-toxic to said bacterium, and
(2) at least one vapor-reactive surface not in-tended to be immersed in the liquid medium when said liquid-reactive surface is immersed in the liquid medium, said surface containing in a dry state a reagent which may be toxic to said specimen and reacts on contact with vapors or gases emitted by the liquid medium due to the presence of the bacterium therein.
Thus the analytical device is the combination of a tube which has means for obturation or sealing off of the tube and contains at least a portion of a nutritive liquid medium permitting the growth of an unknown microorganism such as a bacterium, and a test strip which has at least two reactive regions, one of which is situated in close proximity to the end of the strip, and is intended to be immersed in the liquid contained in the tube and contains, in its dry state, some nutritive elements complementary to the liquid medium enclosed in the tube and at least one reagent which permits spontaneous reactions with the bacterium in the liquid medium. The reagent must be non-toxic to the bacterium and not capable of inhibiting their growth. The strip also contains at least one other surface situated on the strip which is not to be immersed in the liquid medium and contains, in its dry state, a reagent or reagents which are toxic to the bacterium and react on contact with vapors ,.4~
emitted by the liquid medium in the presence of the bacterium.
The reactions take place in a tube placed in an incubator at about 37C. According to the nature of the bacteria present, a reaction in the liquid stage can occur and is visually indicated by a change of color. Furthermore, the liquid medium releases some volatile products which can initiate some reactions with the toxic reagents contained in a dry state in the areas of the strips not immersed. These reactions are also indicated visually by changes in color of these reactive regions. It is of interest to note that such reactions do not completely denature the liquid medium contained in the tube thus permitting new reac-tions to be conducted using the same medium at a later time.
The analytical device is used to detect the presence of bacteria and as a screen for preliminary identifying a class or classes of bacteria. If the screen gives positive results, that is a visual change in color corresponding to a positive reaction between the test strip and the bacteria, the investiga-tion can be extended to a more elaborate testing procedure for a more accurate determination of the bacteria as, for example, by using the twenty-test or fifty-test strip method as outlined in Canadian Patent ~o. 1,024,869, issued January 24, 1978.
Another advantage of this device is that it can be stored for a relatively long period of time. Furthermore, the tube can contain chemical products in a liquid form which cannot be dehydrated or decomposed while the active surfaces of the strip contain chemical products complementary to those of the liquid medium, preserved perfectly when dry but poorly or not at all when in the liquid medium.
Other advantages include the rapid rate of analysis, on the order of two hours, and the easy preparation of the com-ponents for use.
Advantageously the tube contains, in addition to a 107~144 portion of a nutritive liquid medium permitting the growth of bacteria, at least one reactive product which enables spontaneous reactions with the bacteria to occur in the liquid medium and yet is non-toxic with respect to these bacteria and does not inhibit their growth.
The test strip of the invention comprises a primary sheet of material such as a plastic material having a plurality of openings equal to the number of surfaces, a weave of the same material placed over the openings and a sheet of flat covering material, the woven material being arranged between the two aforementioned sheets and the three parts sealed together by a heat-sealing process.
The reagents are deposited on the weave of material adjacent to the openings as a solution which is allowed to evaporate to remove solvent therefrom and to leave the surface impregnated with the reagents.
In still another embodiment of this invention a flexible cap for a glass container having a narrow sealed neck such as a heat-sealed ampoule or vial is provided which performs the dual function of-(a) permitting opening of the container by breaking of the narrow sealed neck through pressure exerted on the flexible cap in the vicinity of the narrow neck and (b) enclosing the opened container to protect and seal the contents thereofO
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow flexible cap having an open interior portion for receiving the narrow sealed end portion of an elongated unitary glass container, the cap being adapted to per-form the dual function of opening the container when the sealed end portion of the container is received with the cap by break-ing the narrow sealed end portion of a unitary glass container and for closing the container after opening thereof, the cap being tapered away from the ~ ng therein and being capable 107~44 of engaging and breaking the sealed end portion from the container to open the same in response to the external pressure applied to the tapered portion of the cap when the cap receives the sealed end portion of the container and in which the cap has an open cylindrical body portion and a closed end portion dis-posed opposite the opening in the body portion, the end portion being substantially planar and extending at an oblique angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion, the angle of the end portion causing force directed thereto to be transmitted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the glass container and to break the narrow sealed end.
The invention will be more completely described with reference to the following drawings and description.
FIGURE 1 is a front view of the test strip.
FIGURE 2 is a side view of the test strip.
FIGURE 3 is a view of the tube before utilization.
FIG~RE 4 is a view of the tube and the test strip in the course of testing.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the test strip 2 con--4a-.. , '' ' . ~
1~7114~
tains at least two reactive surfaces 3 and 4. The reactive sur-face 3 contains in its dry state some nutritive elements and some products which allow spontaneous reactions with the bacteria in the liquid medium, these products being non-toxic for the bacteria and not inhibiting their growth. The reactive surface 4 contains products in a dry state which upon reacting when in contact with gases emitted by the liquid medium in the presence of certain bacteria are toxic.
Figure 3 shows a tube 5 which before utilization is sealed. The upper part of the tube 6 may be cut off to permit the introduction of reagents, the cap 7 having been designed to seal this tube after introduction of reagents. Tube 5 can con-tain 1 ml of culture medium and some agents complementary to the agents contained on the reactive region 3 which region can be immersed in the culture medium. The cover is made of a flexible material such as a resin plastic material and fits slidably over the upper part of the tube 6. The cover also serves to break the upper part of the tube before use by pressing the angled portion of the cover against the upper portion of the tube using, for example, I'thumb pressure`'. In this manner the tube can be opened safely without directly touching the glass with the hand. The broken portion of the tube is then removed, the test strip 2 is placed in the tube and the tube is resealed with the cover 7.
The strip 2 consists of a primary sheet of material 8 having two perforations 9 and 10 corresponding to the reactive regions 3 and 4, respectively, a woven or textured tissue or mesh 12 placed over the perforations 9 and 10 and the top por-tion of the strip so that the upper end portion of the strip serves as a gripping area for the test strip, and a flat cover sheet 13 of plastic material covering the primary sheet with the woven material over the perforations being exposed between sheets 1~7~44 8 and 13. The sheets can be made of plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polyamide or other synthetic polymer. The three parts are assembled by joining or welding at high frequency in the case of polyvinyl chloride or by a heat proeess, by im-pulses, or by ultrasonic vibrations, for the ease where the materials are made from polyamides or other polymers.
In practice, the upper portion 6 of the tube 5 is broken off, then a suspension of the specimen-to be analyzed is made. Then the strip 2 is introduced into tube 5 so that only region 3 is immersed, region 4 being located just above the liquid. The tube is covered by cap 7 and placed in an ineu-bator at 37C for two hours.
The result of the reactions is indicated by eventual ehanges in the eolor of the liquid and/or the reaetive regions.
Thus, for example, the eulture medium ean inelude as a reagent "ONPG`' ( -galactosidose) whieh turns yellow for a positive reaetion, while the region 3 may contain "TDA" (tryptophane) whieh turns maroon on reaetion, and region 4 may contain l'IND"
or "INDOLE" (Kovacs reagent) which turns to violet on reaction.
The test strip 5 can contain a plurality of operational or reaetive regions 3 and a plurality of operations or reaetive regions 4 in aecordanee with the invention.
,. ' ' :
Thus the analytical device is the combination of a tube which has means for obturation or sealing off of the tube and contains at least a portion of a nutritive liquid medium permitting the growth of an unknown microorganism such as a bacterium, and a test strip which has at least two reactive regions, one of which is situated in close proximity to the end of the strip, and is intended to be immersed in the liquid contained in the tube and contains, in its dry state, some nutritive elements complementary to the liquid medium enclosed in the tube and at least one reagent which permits spontaneous reactions with the bacterium in the liquid medium. The reagent must be non-toxic to the bacterium and not capable of inhibiting their growth. The strip also contains at least one other surface situated on the strip which is not to be immersed in the liquid medium and contains, in its dry state, a reagent or reagents which are toxic to the bacterium and react on contact with vapors ,.4~
emitted by the liquid medium in the presence of the bacterium.
The reactions take place in a tube placed in an incubator at about 37C. According to the nature of the bacteria present, a reaction in the liquid stage can occur and is visually indicated by a change of color. Furthermore, the liquid medium releases some volatile products which can initiate some reactions with the toxic reagents contained in a dry state in the areas of the strips not immersed. These reactions are also indicated visually by changes in color of these reactive regions. It is of interest to note that such reactions do not completely denature the liquid medium contained in the tube thus permitting new reac-tions to be conducted using the same medium at a later time.
The analytical device is used to detect the presence of bacteria and as a screen for preliminary identifying a class or classes of bacteria. If the screen gives positive results, that is a visual change in color corresponding to a positive reaction between the test strip and the bacteria, the investiga-tion can be extended to a more elaborate testing procedure for a more accurate determination of the bacteria as, for example, by using the twenty-test or fifty-test strip method as outlined in Canadian Patent ~o. 1,024,869, issued January 24, 1978.
Another advantage of this device is that it can be stored for a relatively long period of time. Furthermore, the tube can contain chemical products in a liquid form which cannot be dehydrated or decomposed while the active surfaces of the strip contain chemical products complementary to those of the liquid medium, preserved perfectly when dry but poorly or not at all when in the liquid medium.
Other advantages include the rapid rate of analysis, on the order of two hours, and the easy preparation of the com-ponents for use.
Advantageously the tube contains, in addition to a 107~144 portion of a nutritive liquid medium permitting the growth of bacteria, at least one reactive product which enables spontaneous reactions with the bacteria to occur in the liquid medium and yet is non-toxic with respect to these bacteria and does not inhibit their growth.
The test strip of the invention comprises a primary sheet of material such as a plastic material having a plurality of openings equal to the number of surfaces, a weave of the same material placed over the openings and a sheet of flat covering material, the woven material being arranged between the two aforementioned sheets and the three parts sealed together by a heat-sealing process.
The reagents are deposited on the weave of material adjacent to the openings as a solution which is allowed to evaporate to remove solvent therefrom and to leave the surface impregnated with the reagents.
In still another embodiment of this invention a flexible cap for a glass container having a narrow sealed neck such as a heat-sealed ampoule or vial is provided which performs the dual function of-(a) permitting opening of the container by breaking of the narrow sealed neck through pressure exerted on the flexible cap in the vicinity of the narrow neck and (b) enclosing the opened container to protect and seal the contents thereofO
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow flexible cap having an open interior portion for receiving the narrow sealed end portion of an elongated unitary glass container, the cap being adapted to per-form the dual function of opening the container when the sealed end portion of the container is received with the cap by break-ing the narrow sealed end portion of a unitary glass container and for closing the container after opening thereof, the cap being tapered away from the ~ ng therein and being capable 107~44 of engaging and breaking the sealed end portion from the container to open the same in response to the external pressure applied to the tapered portion of the cap when the cap receives the sealed end portion of the container and in which the cap has an open cylindrical body portion and a closed end portion dis-posed opposite the opening in the body portion, the end portion being substantially planar and extending at an oblique angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion, the angle of the end portion causing force directed thereto to be transmitted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the glass container and to break the narrow sealed end.
The invention will be more completely described with reference to the following drawings and description.
FIGURE 1 is a front view of the test strip.
FIGURE 2 is a side view of the test strip.
FIGURE 3 is a view of the tube before utilization.
FIG~RE 4 is a view of the tube and the test strip in the course of testing.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the test strip 2 con--4a-.. , '' ' . ~
1~7114~
tains at least two reactive surfaces 3 and 4. The reactive sur-face 3 contains in its dry state some nutritive elements and some products which allow spontaneous reactions with the bacteria in the liquid medium, these products being non-toxic for the bacteria and not inhibiting their growth. The reactive surface 4 contains products in a dry state which upon reacting when in contact with gases emitted by the liquid medium in the presence of certain bacteria are toxic.
Figure 3 shows a tube 5 which before utilization is sealed. The upper part of the tube 6 may be cut off to permit the introduction of reagents, the cap 7 having been designed to seal this tube after introduction of reagents. Tube 5 can con-tain 1 ml of culture medium and some agents complementary to the agents contained on the reactive region 3 which region can be immersed in the culture medium. The cover is made of a flexible material such as a resin plastic material and fits slidably over the upper part of the tube 6. The cover also serves to break the upper part of the tube before use by pressing the angled portion of the cover against the upper portion of the tube using, for example, I'thumb pressure`'. In this manner the tube can be opened safely without directly touching the glass with the hand. The broken portion of the tube is then removed, the test strip 2 is placed in the tube and the tube is resealed with the cover 7.
The strip 2 consists of a primary sheet of material 8 having two perforations 9 and 10 corresponding to the reactive regions 3 and 4, respectively, a woven or textured tissue or mesh 12 placed over the perforations 9 and 10 and the top por-tion of the strip so that the upper end portion of the strip serves as a gripping area for the test strip, and a flat cover sheet 13 of plastic material covering the primary sheet with the woven material over the perforations being exposed between sheets 1~7~44 8 and 13. The sheets can be made of plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polyamide or other synthetic polymer. The three parts are assembled by joining or welding at high frequency in the case of polyvinyl chloride or by a heat proeess, by im-pulses, or by ultrasonic vibrations, for the ease where the materials are made from polyamides or other polymers.
In practice, the upper portion 6 of the tube 5 is broken off, then a suspension of the specimen-to be analyzed is made. Then the strip 2 is introduced into tube 5 so that only region 3 is immersed, region 4 being located just above the liquid. The tube is covered by cap 7 and placed in an ineu-bator at 37C for two hours.
The result of the reactions is indicated by eventual ehanges in the eolor of the liquid and/or the reaetive regions.
Thus, for example, the eulture medium ean inelude as a reagent "ONPG`' ( -galactosidose) whieh turns yellow for a positive reaetion, while the region 3 may contain "TDA" (tryptophane) whieh turns maroon on reaetion, and region 4 may contain l'IND"
or "INDOLE" (Kovacs reagent) which turns to violet on reaction.
The test strip 5 can contain a plurality of operational or reaetive regions 3 and a plurality of operations or reaetive regions 4 in aecordanee with the invention.
,. ' ' :
Claims
1. A hollow flexible cap having an open interior portion for receiving the narrow sealed end portion of an elongated unitary glass container, the cap being adapted to perform the dual function of opening the container when the sealed end por-tion of the container is received with the cap by breaking the narrow sealed end portion of a unitary glass container and for closing the container after opening thereof, the cap being tapered away from the opening therein and being capable of en-gaging and breaking the sealed end portion from the container to open the same in response to the external pressure applied to the tapered portion of the cap when the cap receives the sealed end portion of the container and in which the cap has an open cylindrical body portion and a closed end portion disposed opposite the opening in the body portion, the end portion being substantially planar and extending at an oblique angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body portion, the angle of the end portion causing force directed thereto to be trans-mitted at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the glass con-tainer and to break the narrow sealed end.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA304,235A CA1071144A (en) | 1974-08-12 | 1978-05-25 | Hollow flexible cap to open and seal end portion of glass ampoule |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR7428639A FR2281982A1 (en) | 1974-08-12 | 1974-08-12 | ANALYSIS DEVICE FOR THE RAPID SCREENING OF MICRO-ORGANISMS FROM AN ISOLATION ENVIRONMENT |
| CA304,235A CA1071144A (en) | 1974-08-12 | 1978-05-25 | Hollow flexible cap to open and seal end portion of glass ampoule |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1071144A true CA1071144A (en) | 1980-02-05 |
Family
ID=25668711
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA304,235A Expired CA1071144A (en) | 1974-08-12 | 1978-05-25 | Hollow flexible cap to open and seal end portion of glass ampoule |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1071144A (en) |
-
1978
- 1978-05-25 CA CA304,235A patent/CA1071144A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |