JP2011069778A - Wiping instrument for examining environmental microorganism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiping instrument for examining environmental microorganisms, capable of taking out a test liquid with a solid removed even if the solid such as dust is mixed into a diluent in a container body, with no risk of contamination and bacteria adhered to the circumference of the outlet of a test liquid to take out the test liquid in the container body. <P>SOLUTION: The wiping instrument for the environmental microorganisms includes a cylindrical container body 3 with a compressible deformable waist, a cover 5 attachably and detachably mounted on the opening 4 of the container body 3, a stick 6 inserted into the container body 3 with a base end fixed to the cover 5 or integrated thereto, and a wiping impregnated-body 7 provided at the top end of the stick 6 and soaked in the diluent 2 in the container body 3 while the cover 5 is attached to the opening 4 of the container body 3, in which an open test liquid outlet 12 made of a cylinder with a small diameter protruded from a bottom 9 at the bottom 9 of the container body 3 is provided, a filter 14 to prevent a solid such as dust from passing through but to permit it bacteria to pass through is arranged on the test liquid outlet 12, and a plug 14 to seal the test liquid outlet 12 on the test liquid outlet 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms used in medical institutions, food factories, pharmaceutical factories, and the like.

A simple test has been developed for the environmental microbiological test, and there are a conventional method mainly using culture and a method using a reagent capable of determining the degree of contamination by the microbe.
In the conventional method mainly including culture, an operation of wiping off adherent bacteria on the surface of an object with a cotton swab or the like is generally performed by a wiping method (also called a swab method). For example, an operation of wiping off adhering bacteria on a surface of an object such as an instrument, instrument, or work table using a cotton swab impregnated with a fixed amount of a diluent such as a phosphate buffer or physiological saline is performed. The swab from which the bacteria on the surface of the object have been wiped off is placed in a synthetic resin container containing the same solution, and shaken vigorously, or shaken with a weak ultrasonic wave having no sterilizing power. The exudate thus obtained is taken out as a test solution, and after culturing the test solution, the colonies of bacteria that appeared are measured, and the number of bacteria in the wiped area is calculated.

  As an instrument used for such environmental microbiological tests, a container main body for storing a diluent, a lid detachably attached to the opening of the container main body, and a cotton ball at the tip fixed to the lid The lid is provided with a communication path that allows the inside and outside of the container body to be connected and the liquid inside the container body to be taken out, and the upper end opening of this communication path can be sealed. A wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms having a simple upper lid is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). This wiper for environmental microbiological examination adheres to the cotton ball by storing the cotton ball in the container body again after performing the wiping operation using the cotton ball immersed in the diluent contained in the container body. The collected bacteria (specimen) is collected in the diluent, and then the container body is turned upside down and the test solution is taken out from the communication path provided in the lid.

JP 2003-344232 A

  However, according to the above-described wiper for environmental microorganisms, when a solid matter such as dust is collected when wiping operation is performed with a cotton ball, the solid matter such as dust is collected in the diluent. There is a problem that the sample is mixed, and the removal and inspection of the test solution is hindered. In addition, the lid is provided with a communication path serving as an opening for taking out the test solution from the inside of the container body. Since this lid has a cotton shaft rod with a cotton ball at the tip, Since the operation of wiping off the attached bacteria is always performed by gripping the lid, there is a risk that dirt or bacteria may adhere to the lid via the gripped fingers. If dirt or bacteria adheres to the lid, the test solution dropped from the opening provided in the lid touches the dirt or bacteria attached to the lid when removing the test solution from the container body. Since it may be contaminated and the reliability of the test result may be impaired, the lid has a problem that it is not preferable as a place where a takeout port for taking out the test solution is provided.

  The object of the present invention is to take out a test solution from which solid matter has been removed, even when solid matter such as dust is mixed in the diluted solution in the container body. An object of the present invention is to provide a wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms without the risk of dirt and bacteria adhering to the periphery of the sample solution outlet to be taken out.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a cylindrical container body having a compressible body, a lid that is detachably attached to an opening of the container body, A stick portion whose base end portion is fixed or integrated with the lid body and inserted into the container main body, and is provided at the tip of the stick portion, and the lid body is attached to the opening of the container main body. A dip wiper impregnated in a dilute solution, and provided at the bottom of the container main body with an opening for taking out a test liquid constituted by a small-diameter cylindrical portion protruding from the bottom. A filter that allows bacteria to pass through but does not allow solids such as dust to pass through is disposed at the liquid outlet, and a plug that seals the liquid outlet is detachably attached to the liquid outlet. It is characterized by.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that a cap body for covering the test solution outlet is provided at the bottom of the container body according to claim 1.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the stopper attached to the test solution outlet according to claim 2 is formed integrally with the cap body.

  According to the wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to claim 1, a test solution outlet constituted by a small-diameter cylindrical portion protruding from the bottom portion is provided at the bottom of the container body, and the test solution outlet Since a filter that allows bacteria to pass through but does not allow solids such as dust to pass through is disposed, even when a wiping operation is carried out with a wiper impregnating body, even solids such as dust are collected. Even when solids such as are mixed in the diluent, when removing the test solution in the container body from the test solution outlet, the solids such as dust from the test solution are placed in the test solution outlet. Is removed, and a test solution in which no solid matter such as dust is mixed can be obtained.

  In addition, a sample outlet is provided at the bottom of the container body to remove the sample from the container body, and fingers should touch the bottom of the container body during handling when wiping off adherent bacteria on the surface of the object. There is no danger of dirt and bacteria adhering around the sample outlet.

  According to the wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to claim 2, since the cap body covering the test solution outlet is provided at the bottom of the container body according to claim 1, the periphery of the test solution outlet It is possible to prevent dirt and bacteria from sticking to the skin.

  According to the wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to claim 3, since the stopper attached to the test solution outlet according to claim 2 is formed integrally with the cap body, When the cap body is removed, the stopper that seals the sample outlet is also removed from the sample outlet, and when the sample in the container body is taken out from the sample outlet, it is placed around the sample outlet. Since the test solution outlet can be opened without being touched by a finger or the like, it is possible to reliably prevent dirt and bacteria from adhering around the test solution outlet.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of embodiment of the wiping instrument for an environmental microbe test | inspection which concerns on this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the wiping instrument for an environmental microbe inspection shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the test-solution removal state in the wiping instrument for an environmental microbe test | inspection shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to this example, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a test solution in the wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the taking-out state.

  The wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms of this example is detachably attached to a cylindrical container body 3 having a body 1 capable of compressive deformation and containing a diluent 2 therein, and an opening 4 of the container body 3. A lid body 5, a base portion fixed to or integrated with the lid body 5, and a stick portion 6 inserted into the container body 3, and provided at the tip of the stick portion 6 to cover the opening 4 of the container body 3. A wiping impregnation body 7 immersed in the diluent 2 in the container main body 3 with the body 5 attached is provided.

  The cylindrical container body 3 having the compressible and deformable body portion 1 is formed of a soft synthetic resin such as high-density polyethylene in this example. More specifically, the container body 3 of this example is formed with an opening 4 for mounting the lid 5 on one opening side of the cylindrical body 8 forming the body 1, and the other opening side is closed to close the bottom 9 It is the structure which formed. A male screw portion 10 is formed on the outer periphery of the opening 4 to be screwed into a female screw portion, which will be described later, formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lid 5.

  In this example, the body 1 constituting the portion between the opening 4 and the bottom 9 of the container body 3 is formed thinner than the portions of the opening 4 and the bottom 9 in order to make compression deformation easier. Yes. In addition, the body portion 1 is formed in a polygonal cross section to make it easy to hold the container body 3 and prevent the container body 3 from rolling, and is transparent or translucent so that the inside can be seen through. Yes.

  In the lid 5 that is detachably attached to the opening 4 of the container body 3, a female screw portion 11 that is screwed into a male screw portion 10 formed on the outer periphery of the opening 4 is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Has been. In addition, a cylindrical stick support portion 5b is formed on the inner surface of the ceiling portion 5a of the lid 5 so as to protrude integrally with the base end portion of the stick portion 6 inserted and fixed at the center position.

  The wiping impregnated body 7 provided at the tip of the stick portion 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that is shrinkable and can be impregnated with a liquid. Fibers such as cotton and synthetic fibers, urethane foam, and the like It is made of a synthetic resin or a combination of these materials, and has a structure in which bacteria can be easily collected, such as a cotton ball, a basket, a ring, or a fine uneven surface. In this example, the wiping impregnated body 7 is composed of a sponge-like foamed synthetic resin such as foamed urethane or foamed polyethylene that is not deteriorated by the diluent 2 and has wear resistance.

  In addition, the bottom 9 of the container body 3 is provided with an opening for taking out a test solution 12 constituted by a small-diameter cylindrical portion protruding from the bottom 9. A filter 13 that allows bacteria to pass through but does not allow solids such as dust to pass through is disposed at the test solution outlet 12. Further, the test solution outlet 12 has a plug 14 that seals the test solution outlet. It is detachably attached. The filter 13 is not particularly limited in material and structure as long as it allows bacteria to pass through but does not allow solids such as dust to pass through.

  In this example, the bottom portion 9 of the container body 3 is configured separately from the trunk portion 1, and the bottom portion 9 is configured by a bottom lid body 15 attached to the bottom side of the trunk portion 1. The test solution outlet 12 is provided in the ceiling portion 15a.

  Specifically, a male screw portion 16 is formed on the outer periphery on the bottom side of the body portion 1 to be screwed into a female screw portion, which will be described later, formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bottom lid 15. Further, in the bottom cover body 15 attached to the bottom side of the trunk portion 1, a female screw portion 17 that is screwed onto an inner peripheral surface of the bottom screw body 16 formed on the outer periphery on the bottom portion side of the trunk portion 1. Is formed. The test solution outlet 12 is provided on the ceiling portion 15a of the bottom lid 15 so as to protrude outward.

  Further, the bottom lid body 15 is provided with a cap body 18 that covers the test solution outlet 12 by covering the ceiling portion 15 a of the bottom lid body 15. The cap body 18 is attached to the bottom lid body 15 via a hinge 19. In this example, the cap body 18 is configured integrally with the bottom lid body 15 via a hinge 19 formed of a thin wall.

Further, in this example, the stopper 14 for sealing the test solution outlet 12 is formed integrally with the cap body 18 and is provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the cap body 18. When covered with the portion 15 a, the stopper 14 provided on the inner surface of the cap body 18 is inserted into the test solution outlet 12 provided in the ceiling portion 15 a of the bottom lid 15 so as to seal the test solution outlet 12. It has become.
Further, in this example, a scale 20 indicating the amount of the test solution dispensed from the container body 3 is displayed on the body 1 of the container body 3.

  The thus configured wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms is impregnated for wiping by inserting the distal end side of the stick portion 6 into a container body 3 containing a diluent 2 such as a phosphate buffer or physiological saline. The body 7 is immersed in the diluent 2. And the opening part 4 of the container main body 3 is sealed by screwing and attaching the cover body 5 to the opening part 4 of the container main body 3. In this state, sterilization is performed with high-pressure steam or radiation, and storage and transportation are performed in this state.

  At the sample collection site, the lid 5 is removed from the container body 3, the wiping impregnation body 7 provided at the tip of the stick portion 6 is taken out from the container body 3, and the object surface is wiped off with the wiping impregnation body 7. Collect the attached bacteria. At that time, when the wiping impregnated body 7 provided at the tip of the stick portion 6 is taken out from the container main body 3, the trunk portion 1 of the container main body 3 is crushed to reduce the diameter, and the wiping impregnated body 7 passing therethrough is removed. The amount of impregnation of the diluent 2 in the wiping impregnated body 7 can be made appropriate by squeezing and removing the excess diluent 2.

  Then, after wiping with the wiping impregnation body 7, the wiping impregnation body 7 is again inserted into the container body 3, and the lid body 5 is screwed into the opening 4 of the container body 3 and attached. As a result, the wiping impregnated body 7 from which the bacteria have been collected is again immersed in the diluent 2. In this state, the bacteria collected by the wiping impregnated body 7 are recovered in the diluent 2 by shaking the container body 3. A liquid can be obtained.

  When taking out the test solution thus obtained from the container body 3, the cap body 18 is removed from the ceiling portion 15a of the bottom lid body 15 constituting the bottom portion 9 of the container body 3 and inserted into the test solution outlet 12. The stopper 14 is removed, the body 1 of the container body 3 is crushed to reduce the diameter, and the test solution in the container body 3 is dropped from the test solution outlet 12 and taken out. At this time, since the filter 13 is disposed at the test solution outlet 12, the container main body 3 can be used even when solid matter such as dust is mixed into the diluent by wiping with the wiping impregnated body 7. When the test solution is taken out from the test solution outlet 12, the filter 13 removes solids such as dust from the test solution, and a test solution in which solids such as dust are not mixed is obtained.

  The test solution taken out from the container main body 3 in this manner is dispensed into a test container such as a petri dish or a test tube. In this case, in this example, the container main body 3 is fed into the body part from the container main body 3. Since the scale 20 indicating the dispensing amount of the test solution to be taken out is displayed, the required amount can be reliably dispensed by dropping while checking the scale 20.

  The wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms of this example is used as described above. Since the sample outlet 12 for taking out the specimen from the inside of the container body 3 is provided at the bottom 9 of the container body 3, In handling during the wiping operation of the attached bacteria, there is no risk that the finger or the like touches the periphery of the bottom of the container body 3, and there is no risk of dirt or bacteria adhering to the periphery of the test solution outlet 12. In particular, in this example, since the cap body 18 that covers the test solution outlet 12 is provided at the bottom 9 of the container body 3, it is possible to prevent dirt and bacteria from adhering around the test solution outlet 12.

  Furthermore, in this example, since the stopper 14 attached to the test solution outlet 12 is formed integrally with the cap body 18, when the cap body 18 is removed from the bottom 9 of the container body 3, the test solution outlet 12 is sealed. The stopper 14 is also removed from the test solution outlet 12. When the test solution in the container body 3 is taken out from the test solution outlet 12, the test sample is not touched around the test solution outlet 12. Since the liquid outlet 12 can be opened, it is possible to reliably prevent dirt and bacteria from adhering to the periphery of the test liquid outlet 12 and to easily remove the plug 14 from the liquid outlet 12. It can be carried out.

  Further, in this example, the bottom 9 of the container body 3 is configured separately from the body 1, and the bottom 9 is configured by a bottom cover 15 attached to the bottom of the body 1, and this bottom cover Since the above-mentioned test solution outlet 12 is provided in the ceiling portion 15 a of 15, the test solution outlet 12 can be easily provided in the bottom portion 9 of the container body 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body part 2 Diluent 3 Container body 4 Opening part 5 Lid 5a Ceiling part 5b Stick support part 6 Stick part 7 Wiping impregnation body 8 Cylinder body 9 Bottom part 10 Male thread part 11 Female thread part 12 Test liquid outlet 13 Filter 14 Plug 15 Bottom cover 15a Ceiling part 16 Male thread part 17 Female thread part 18 Cap body 19 Hinge 20 Scale

Claims (3)

  A cylindrical container body having a compressible and deformable body, a lid body detachably attached to the opening of the container body, and a base end portion fixed or integrated with the lid body in the container body A stick part to be inserted, and an impregnating body for wiping which is provided at the tip of the stick part and immersed in a diluent in the container body in a state where a lid is attached to the opening of the container body, The bottom of the container main body is provided with an opening for taking out a test liquid constituted by a small-diameter cylindrical portion protruding from the bottom, and allows bacteria to pass through the test liquid outlet, but passes solids such as dust. A wiping instrument for testing environmental microorganisms, wherein a filter that is not allowed to be disposed is disposed, and a plug for sealing the test solution outlet is detachably attached to the test solution outlet.   The wiping instrument for environmental microbiological examination according to claim 1, wherein a cap body that covers the test solution outlet is provided at the bottom of the container body.   The wiping device for testing environmental microorganisms according to claim 2, wherein the stopper attached to the test solution outlet is formed integrally with the cap body.

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