GB2600989A

GB2600989A - Automatic monitoring of farm mammals for disease

Info

Publication number: GB2600989A
Application number: GB2018013.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stanley Curtis Mervyn
Original assignee: Roboscientific Ltd
Current assignee: Roboscientific Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-16
Filing date: 2020-11-16
Publication date: 2022-05-18
Also published as: GB202018013D0

Abstract

An automatic apparatus is disclosed that detects the presence in an environment of an animal infected with viral or bacterial disease, by measuring and comparing the digital fingerprints of mixtures of the totality of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the environmental atmosphere and emanating from samples of bodily origin. The apparatus comprises: (a) an air sampling unit that diverts a sample of the atmosphere to a sensor set; (b) a sensor set 9 comprising at least two sensors reactive to VOCs; (c) a processing unit 10 for comparing output signals of the sensor set with patterns derived from a database; (d) a control system that triggers the sampling of the air space at pre-determined time intervals; and (e) a housing. The apparatus may be used to continuously or periodically monitor an environment such as a poultry house, cattle barn, or pig pen.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No G1320180139 RTM Date:8 October 2021 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Tenax C arbotrap Carbopack C arb oxen Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo Page 1 Automatic monitoring of Farm Mammals for Disease

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a requirement for a sensor system to detect when the carriers or victims of a disease are present or have been present in a particular location. When animal subjects, such as poultry; cattle and pigs, are infected with a disease they can cause cross infection through direct contact or by allowing droplets from breath; sweat or other bodily fluids to be suspended in the immediate atmosphere or to collect on surfaces or objects such as drink or food dispensers. Thus one animal can infect one or more other animals.

When large numbers of animals include one or more animals who are infected with or carrying a disease it can be impractical, expensive and time consuming to test each subject individually. Existing test methods, such as LAMP and PCR tests, are invasive requiring typically a sample to be taken from the animal and usually are undertaken by trained personnel. There is a need for a system which can sample the atmosphere of a known environment such as a poultry shed and determine if any infected or disease carrying animals are present in the location. Such a system would permit the rapid screening of large numbers of animals for disease. The present invention relates to a fully automatically operating and self-contained non-invasive sampling, sensing and detector system which will detect viral & bacterial diseases causing illness in animals and human beings, by measuring and analysing and making comparison with the digital fingerprints of mixtures of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds in the environment atmosphere. The technique of detecting diseases by measuring and analysing and making comparison with the digital fingerprints of mixtures of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds is well established in the prior art with several inventions using breath samples from subjects.

Examples of this prior art include Neel (1994) U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,594 and Satterfield (2014) U.S. Pat. Application US 2014/0276100 Al.

The present invention is not based upon the use of a breath sample as the source of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds. In this invention the test sample comprises the ambient atmosphere of the environment together with the totality of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emanating from the group consisting of breath samples, sweat samples, urine samples, vaginal samples, faeces samples, tissue samples, eructation samples, flatulence samples and any other samples having a bodily origin. Thus the sample taken is a holistic or full body sample taken rather than one from a single specific source in the body.

Page 2 The base system comprises: (a) an air sampling unit able to take a sample of the atmosphere in the environment and to divert said sample to enter the sensor set; (b) a selected definitive sensor set comprising at least two sensors known to react to the presence of the specific odours or volatile organic compounds ( VOCs) in the air sample which are known to indicate the presence of a specific disease or diseases, the air sample being taken from the environment; and (c) a processing unit comprising a pattern recognition analyser, wherein the pattern recognition analyser receives output signals of the sensor set compares them to disease -specific patterns derived from a database of response patterns of the sensor set to the breath and other bodily emissions of subjects with known diseases, wherein each of the disease-specific patterns is characteristic of a particular disease, both bacteriological or viral; and selects a closest match between the output signals of the sensor set and the disease-specific pattern and (d) a control system that triggers the sampling of the air space of the environment at pre-determined times or intervals so rendering the apparatus entirely automatic and self-contained in operation.

While laboratory instruments with high specificity and accuracy are available, they are not generally suitable for room monitoring applications because they lack physical robustness to be used in locations such as farms, are not automatic in operation and require highly trained operators, and typically are large in size and weight, have high power consumption requirements, and chemical reagent (gases, liquids) requirements and require fluid samples, such as breath samples, to be collected separately and manually. Such instruments are generally too expensive to be affordable for use in agricultural screening and testing.

This method does not detect the specific bacteria or virus associated with a disease rather it detects the presence of a combination of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds which are generated in the subject as a reaction to the infection. With a suitable array of sensors and appropriate processing of their reactions it is possible to build up a digital fingerprint which is specific to a single disease. With a library of such digital fingerprints stored within the apparatus it becomes possible, through a process of comparison, to identify the presence of disease even when two or more are present in one subject or when multiple subjects each have a specific but different disease. It has been found that in the case of diseases caused by viral infections the indicative combinations of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds will include, but not be limited to, chemical compounds from the aldehydes (ethanal, heptanal, octanal), ketones (acetone, butanone) and methanol (D.M. Ruszkiewicz et al., Diagnosis of COVID-19 by analysis of breath with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry -a feasibility study, EClinicalMedicine (2020).

In the case of diseases caused by bacterial infections the indicative combinations of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds will include, but not be limited to, chemical compounds from the alcohols (3-methyl-butanol, propan-2-ol), aldehydes (propanal, hexanal, 3-methyl-butanal) and sulphur compounds (methyl sulphide, dimethyl sulphide) group.

Page 3 It further becomes possible following the outbreak of a previously unknown disease to adapt the apparatus to detect the new disease by sampling and measuring the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emitted by animals infected with the new disease and to determine the digital fingerprint describing the combination of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds identifying said disease. The apparatus could then have its digital library and software updated to include the new disease.

The system could be used to automatically and continuously or periodically monitor an environment including but not limited to poultry houses; cattle barns; pig (swine) pens; in each case to detect viral & bacterial diseases causing illness in animals. The system could be installed in particular locations as a stand-alone monitor in the fashion of a smoke alarm or could be installed as part of another system such as an air filtering or air purifying system.

Following the detection of a disease the system could provide alerts through numerous channels including but not limited to Wi-Fi; SMS telephone messaging; Bluetoothe and other wireless communications; direct wired connections to other equipment; as well as audible and visual indicators and alarms. All the historical measurements with time and date codes could be stored in memory for subsequent review and auditing.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the components of a system in accordance with the invention that includes several optional components; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of a simplified system in accordance with the invention; FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a wall or roof mounted monitoring station in accordance with the invention and incorporating the components shown in FIG.1.; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the system incorporated into an air-purifying or air-filtration system in accordance with the invention: FIG. 5 shows the typical responses of a sensor set or array when exposed to the full body odours or Volatile Organic Compounds firstly from animals not infected with the disease and secondly from subjects infected with the disease.

Page 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the apparatus. This includes an air inlet 1 open to the atmosphere of the environment; an absorber 2 and associated heater 3 for the optional pre-concentrator system; a suction fan 5 which pulls the air sample into the apparatus and an exhaust outlet 16 which returns the air to the atmosphere. A pipe 4 routes the air sample to a diverter valve 6. This valve has a changeover function and can connect the sensor set 9 to the sample pipe 4 or to the fresh air pipe 8; via the optional air filter 7. This air is used to purge or clean the sensor set after each sampling and measuring sequence. The air is pulled through the sensor set by the air pump 14 which exhausts into outlet 15. The sensor set 9 is connected to the electronic processor system 10 which is also connected to the optional display 11; the optional control panel 12; the electrical power supply 13; the optional wireless connection 17; a wired connection 18 to an external computer or other apparatus and an optional audible or visual alarm 19 to provide an alert following detection of a disease.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus. This includes an air inlet 1 open to the atmosphere of the environment and which routes the air sample to a diverter valve 6. This valve has a changeover function and can connect the sensor set 9 to the air sample from air inlet 1 or to the fresh air pipe 8; via the optional air filter 7. This air is used to purge or clean the sensor set 9 after each sampling and measuring sequence. The air is pulled through the sensor set by the air pump 14 which exhausts into outlet 15. The sensor set 9 is connected to the electronic processor system 10 which is also connected to the optional control panel 12; the electrical power supply 13; and a wired connection 18 to an external computer or other apparatus and an optional audible or visual alarm 19 to provide an alert following detection of a disease.

FIG.3. illustrates a roof or wall mounted embodiment of the invention in the manner of a traditional smoke alarm. Within the housing 20 there could typically be the components shown in FIG.1. Visible components shown are the air intake 1, control panel 12, display 11 and the outlet 16.

FIG.4. is a block diagram illustrating how the invention might be incorporated into an air filtering or purifying system. This embodiment could give a simple method of extracting an air sample for measurement and analysis from the room or environment being monitored. The air filtering or purifying intake 21 is interrupted by an air monitoring system 22 typically comprising the apparatus shown in FIG.1. after which the air flow continues into the air filtering or purifying equipment 23 and to the outlet 24.

Page 5 FIG.5. Shows the amplitude responses of a sensor set or array when (a) exposed to the atmosphere containing the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emitted from animals not infected with the disease (Healthy), (b) when exposed to the atmosphere containing the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emitted from animals infected with the disease (Infected) and c) the difference between the Infected and Healthy. These illustrative results were taken with the specific disease Campylobacter Infection. In this case the sensor responses are differentiated by the maximum amplitude deviation from baseline, with the difference between the Infected and healthy the criteria for analysis, but there are many other more complex pattern recognition techniques which might be implemented depending on the application. Such techniques include, but are not limited to, K-nearest neighbour (KNN), Canonical Discriminate Analysis (CDA), Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA), probabilistic neural network (PNN), artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Fisher Linear Discriminate (FLD).

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the presently preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing from the invention.

Claims

Page 6CLAIMS
Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the following claims:- 1. An automatically operating apparatus which will detect the presence in an environment of an animal or animals infected with viral or bacterial disease or diseases, causing illness in animals, by measuring and analysing and making comparison with the digital fingerprints of mixtures of the totality of the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds in the environment atmosphere and emanating from the group consisting of breath samples, sweat samples, urine samples, vaginal samples, faeces samples, tissue samples; eructation samples, flatulence samples and any other samples having a bodily origin, and, the system comprising: (a) an air sampling unit able to take a sample of the atmosphere in the environment and to divert said sample to enter the sensor set; (b) a selected definitive sensor set comprising at least two sensors reactive to the presence of specific odours or Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs) in the air sample taken from the environment; and (c) a processing unit comprising a pattern recognition analyser, wherein the pattern recognition analyser receives output signals of the sensor set; compares them to disease-specific patterns derived from a database of response patterns of the sensor set exposed to the totality of the bodily emissions of animals with known disease or diseases, wherein each of the disease-specific patterns is characteristic of a particular disease, both bacteriological or viral; and selects a closest match between the output signals of the sensor set and the disease-specific pattern and (d) a control system that triggers the sampling of the air space of the environment at pre-determined times or intervals so rendering the apparatus entirely automatic and self-contained in operation, and (e) a housing 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one other sensor is selected from the group consisting of surface acoustic wave sensors, quartz crystal resonators, metal oxide sensors, dye-coated fibre optic sensors, micro-machined cantilever arrays, composites having regions of conducting material and regions of insulating organic material, composites having regions of conducting material and regions of conducting or semi-conducting organic material, chemically-sensitive resistor or capacitor film, semi-conducting polymer sensors, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors, and bulk organic conducting polymeric sensors.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said test sample comprises the ambient atmosphere of the environment together with the totality or combined total of the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emanating from the group consisting of breath samples, sweat samples, urine samples, vaginal samples, faeces samples, tissue samples; eructation samples, flatulence samples and any other samples having a bodily origin.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is analysed by comparing the data to a database containing data profiles from a plurality of detectable signals and identifying the at least one specific odour or Volatile Organic Compound present in the sample thereby characterizing the disease or combinations of diseases.
Page 7 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease or diseases causing the illness in the subject (animal or human being) is of bacteriological or viral origin.
6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the database comprises response patterns of the sensor set when sampling odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emanating from the group consisting of breath samples, urine samples, vaginal samples, faeces samples, tissue samples; eructation samples, flatulence samples and any other samples having a bodily origin of multiple subjects suffering from a known disease.
7. The system according to claim 1, with a method of diagnosing, screening or monitoring the presence of a disease or diseases in a test animal or animals in a non-invasive manner by sampling the atmosphere around the animal or animals, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a system according to claim 1; (b) exposing the sensor set to the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds emanating from the group consisting of breath samples, urine samples, vaginal samples, faeces samples, tissue samples; eructation samples, flatulence samples and any other samples having a bodily origin of the test animal or animals; (c) measuring the output signals of the sensor set upon exposure to the said sample; (d) comparing the output signals using a pattern recognition analyser to the database -derived disease -specific patterns; and (e) selecting the closest match between the output signals of the sensor set and the database -derived disease specific patterns and applying a tolerance between the output signals of the sensor set and the database -derived disease specific patterns, to indicate a Pass or a Fail (Infected or Non-Infected) condition.
8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of concentrating the odours or Volatile Organic Compounds contained in the air sample by passing the sample over or through an absorbent material for a longer period. The absorbent material of the fluid concentrator can be, but is not limited to, a nano-porous material, a microporous material, a chemically reactive material, a nonporous material and combinations thereof and in some instances, the absorbent material can concentrate the odours or Volatile organic compounds by a factor of between 10 to about 100. Once the sample is concentrated, it can be desorbed by heating the absorbent material.Suitable commercially available absorbent materials include but are not limited to, Tenax TA, Tenax GR, Carbotrap, Carbopack B and C. Carbotrap C, Carboxen, Car bosieve Sill, Proapak, Spherocarb, and combinations thereof; preferred adsorbent combinations include, but are not limited to, Tenax GR and Carbopack B: Carbopack B and Carbosieve Sill; and Carbopack C and Carbopack Band Carbosieve Sill or Carboxen 1000. Those skilled in the art will know of other suitable absorbent materials.
9. The system according to claim 1 with the addition of a wireless communication device, including but not limited to Wi-Fi; Bluetooth® and Telephone SMS messaging, to enable a warning signal to be transmitted in the event of a disease or diseases being detected in the environment which is being monitored.
Page 8 10. The system according to claim 1 with the addition of an air filter unit, including but not limited to a capsule of carbon granules or carbon impregnated cloth, and being capable of adsorbing odours and Volatile Compounds, said air filter unit purifying the air used to clean and purge the sensor set before the next sampling and measurement sequence.
11. The system according to claim 1 being used to automatically and continuously or periodically monitor an environment including but not limited to poultry houses; cattle barns; pig (swine) pens; in each case to detect a animal or animals infected with a viral & bacterial disease or diseases causing illness in animals.
12. The system according to claim 1 being electrically powered by current derived from a mains electricity supply; by current from a primary or a rechargeable battery; by current from a large value capacitor.
13. The system according to claim 1 with the provision of a computer or other memory and being capable of recording every measurement taken by every sensor in the sensor set together with date and time records; these records being downloaded through an electrical or wireless connection to said apparatus.
14 The method of claim 1, wherein the disease-specific patterns in the database can be added to with new disease-specific patterns characterising a disease or diseases not previously included in the database of response patterns of the sensor set to the bodily emissions of animals with known diseases.
15. In the method of claim 1 wherein the cases of diseases caused by viral infections the indicative combinations of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds will include, but not be limited to, chemical compounds from the aldehydes, ketones and alcohols group and in the case of diseases caused by bacterial infections the indicative combinations of odours or Volatile Organic Compounds will include, but not be limited to, chemical compounds from the alcohols, aldehydes and sulphides group.
16. The system according to claim 1 being capable of operation by remote control by means of electrical connection or wireless communication and allowing operational control; changes to settings; transfer of data and updating and additions to the database of response patterns of the sensor set to the bodily emissions of animals with known diseases.