JPH0272898A - Smearing of substance for examination on culture medium and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently and automatically smear a substance for examination on a culture medium by rotating the culture medium round the center thereof and relatively moving a collecting unit to the culture medium while keeping the unit in contact with the culture medium. CONSTITUTION:A vessel 7 accommodating a culture medium 6 is placed on a turntable 82 and rotated. On the other hand a part of a collected substance 1 for examination placed into a collecting tube 5 is adhered to a collecting unit 4 unitedly attached a cap 3 of the collecting tube 5 and the pointed head of the collecting unit 4 is brought into contact with the surface of the culture medium 6 while the collecting unit 4 is supported with a chuck unit 40 and rotated round the axis thereof. The collecting unit 4 is then relatively moved to the rotation axis of the turntable 82, thus smearing the substance for examination on the whole surface of the culture medium 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium, and in particular, collecting a test substance from an object to be examined and automatically applying the sample using the sampling tool. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying a test substance onto the surface of a culture medium.

Problems with the conventional technology Conventionally, a part of the test object (hereinafter referred to as
The work of collecting a sample (referred to as a test substance) and smearing it onto a culture medium in a culture container such as a petri dish has been performed exclusively manually. To collect a portion of the specimen, use a platinum loop, a spoon,
spatula.

Cotton swabs, etc. are used. Furthermore, when collecting a test substance from a test object, it may be necessary to collect the test substance from a specific part of the test object (for example, in stool tests, it is necessary to collect the test substance from the surface of the stool). (need to be collected)
.

The smear is smeared onto the surface of the medium in various patterns such as linear, zigzag, wavy, and spiral.

For example, smears of test material taken from stool need to be applied very dilutely to yield isolated colonies. Moreover, in plate culture, the surface of the medium must not be damaged. There are also cases where two coats should not be applied. Therefore, when applying a smear, the operator wipes the excess specimen with sterilized roll paper, etc., and then smears it, but even in that case, the part of the culture medium that the smear tool first came into contact with will not be covered. The specimen to be inspected is smeared thickly, and as the smearing tool moves, the smear becomes thinner. To encourage this tendency, it is common practice to gradually increase the smear rate. The smear rate must be fairly fast.

If the smear is inappropriate, isolated colonies will not be obtained;
Appropriate testing cannot be performed. Therefore, although smearing is a simple task, it requires skill. In addition, when removing excess test material, if the roll paper etc. is not completely sterilized, there may be a problem of contamination, or if the process of removing excess test material is not performed carefully, The problem of cross-contamination occurs when the test object that is wiped first comes into contact with the smear tool that is wiped next.

As mentioned above, many of the items to be tested are uncomfortable to handle and may pose a risk of bacterial infection, and recently, not only health management 1 food management but also biotechnology In the research field, it has become increasingly necessary to smear a large number of media. Therefore, it is desired to mechanize and automate the smearing work.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, devices are known that apply a liquid test substance to the surface of a culture medium in a spiral manner from a nozzle while serially diluting it. This device precisely weighs the liquid specimen and strictly controls the dilution and smear amount, so it is not only suitable for isolating and culturing concentrated liquid specimens, but also enables efficient bacterial count testing. can do well. However, cross-contamination is prevented by passing a sterilizing liquid through the pipes and nozzles that supply the specimen, so the sterilizing liquid requires complete sterilization, and a large amount of sterilizing liquid is required. Strict management is required from the viewpoint of public health when disposing of the used sterilizing solution. To completely eliminate the problem of cross-contamination, piping and nozzles must be replaced for each object to be caught.

Furthermore, the test object must be in liquid form, and therefore solid test objects must be crushed using a stomacher or the like. The work of preparing liquid specimens is troublesome.

Conventionally, stool collection tubes for collecting stool are known. A conventional stool collection tube has a container with one end open, a cap that seals the opening of the container, and a spoon-shaped stool collection body that is fixed to and housed within the container. As far as the applicant is aware, there has been no device that automatically smears a test substance onto a culture medium using such a stool collection body (sampling tool).

The developer of this case previously filed an application for registration of a utility model for the invention of the name ``Stool Collection Tube Suitable for Mechanized Processing'' (filed on January 11, 1988, Utility Model Application No. 1832-1983). In this stool collection tube, the stool collection body is shaped like an elongated rod or bag, and the surface of the area near the tip thereof is roughened. This stool collection tube collects not only stool, but also solid and pasty materials in general.

Test substances can be collected from semi-liquid and liquid materials,
The stool collection body can be transported and stored by inserting or immersing it in a storage solution in a container or Calibrea medium, etc., and can be smeared onto the culture medium as is (without crushing it with a stomacher, etc.) using the stool collection body. .

Therefore, concerns about cross-contamination can be completely avoided. However, when smearing was performed using the stool collection body described above, it was found that desired smearing could not be performed unless the amount of test substance adhering to the stool collection body was constant. In other words, if there is a large difference in the amount of the test substance adhering to the surface of the stool collection object, the smearing speed (relative movement speed between the stool collection object and the medium surface) must be adjusted one by one, and the amount of adhesion increases. If there is too much, it may not be possible to smear as thinly as possible to obtain isolated colonies, and if the amount is too low, the smear rate may have to be excessively long to obtain a sufficient number of colonies. I needed to.

The present applicant has conducted research into mechanizing the smearing work using this stool collection body, and has completed a method and device that solves the above-mentioned problems.

Means for Solving the Problems In the basic method of the present invention, the sampling tool is rotated at different speeds depending on the viscosity (adhesive force to the sampling tool) and the amount of adhesion of the specimen, thereby reducing the amount of exposure from the sampling tool. The flow rate of the specimen can be adjusted. Specifically, the collection tool is supported on a chuck means, the culture medium is supported on a rotating disk, the collection tool is brought into contact with a predetermined point on the surface of the culture medium, and the collection tool is rotated to collect the culture medium around the center of the surface of the culture medium. At the same time, the chuck means and the rotary disk are relatively moved along the surface of the culture medium.

It was found that this eliminated smear interruptions and smear unevenness and produced a smear suitable for isolation culture.

The relative movement between the medium and the collection tool may take various forms. - For aggregation, the sampling device is brought into contact with the center of rotation of the medium surface and the chuck means and the rotary disk are moved relative to the medium surface in a radial direction from the center. This creates a swirly smear. At this time, the smearing speed increases gradually, so that smearing becomes progressively dilute.

However, it is also possible to make the first contact between the collection tool and the culture medium a point close to the periphery of the culture medium, and to move the chuck means and the rotary disk linearly from there in a centripetal direction toward the center of the culture medium. .

By changing the rotational speed of the culture medium and the relative movement speed and direction between the chuck means and the rotary disk, the smearing speed can be varied in various ways. In particular, it is possible to gradually accelerate the smear rate, to slow down the rate of acceleration of the smear rate, to keep the smear rate constant, or even to gradually slow down the smear rate.

Furthermore, the relative movement between the chuck means and the rotary disk is spirally moved in the opposite direction with respect to the direction of rotation of the culture medium (from the center to the outside or from the outside to the center), thereby increasing the smearing speed. can also be adjusted.

By vibrating the collection tool during the smearing process,
It has been found that it is possible to prevent smear interruptions and smear unevenness, or to encourage the flow of specimens that are difficult to flow down. Part 1: In addition, the liquid can be flowed down little by little from above the sampling tool along its surface. It has been found that this method can promote the flow of specimens that are difficult to flow down. The flow of liquid has the effect of gradually diluting the concentration of the analyte.

In a preferred method of the present invention, after the sampling device contacts the medium surface, the sampling device is rotated at different times, or the sampling device is brought into contact with the center of rotation of the medium, and the sampling device and the medium are rotated at different times. The amount of specimen that adheres to the surface of the sampling tool when rotated over time.

Alternatively, when the flow rate (flow rate per unit time) of the specimen flowing down the surface of the collection tool reaches a predetermined reference value, the chuck means and the rotary disk are moved relative to each other. Thereby, the state of smearing of the test substance on a plurality of culture media can be made uniform. In this case, a means for detecting the amount of adhesion of the above-mentioned object or the flow rate can be provided.

When using the collection JL (fecal collection tube) of the above-mentioned separate application filed by the present applicant, the container of the collection tube (fecal collection tube) and the collection tool (fecal collection body) are separated and the collection tool (fecal collection body) is used. ) can also be placed on the surface of a storage solution or Calibre medium and rotated within the container to remove excess analyte by centrifugal force. By adjusting the viscosity of the storage solution and the rotation speed,
It is also possible to adjust the amount of adhesion.

The method of the present invention has been outlined above, and for a better understanding of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Example In the basic method of the present invention, the sampling tool is oriented almost vertically and rotatably supported on the chuck, and the container containing the medium is placed on the rotating disk with the medium surface oriented almost horizontally. The sampling device is supported rotatably, and the tip of the sampling device to which the specimen is attached is brought into contact with a predetermined point on the surface of the culture medium, and the sampling device is rotated.
The medium is rotated around the center of the medium surface, and the chuck and rotating disk are relatively moved in the horizontal direction. This allows a spiral smear to be made on the surface of the medium.

As the collection tool, the collection tool (fecal collection body) described in the above-mentioned utility model registration application (Utility Model Application No. 1832-1983) of the present applicant is preferable. That is, this is a collection tool in which the surface of the region near the tip of an elongated rod-like or bag-like member is roughened. This collection tool is suitable for collecting specimens from various test objects such as solid, paste, mud, and liquid. After sufficiently contacting the rough surface of the sampling tool with the object to be tested, insert or immerse the tip of the sampling tool into the storage solution or Calibrea medium stored in the container of the sampling tube, and transport or transport as necessary. store. Thereafter, a liquid containing the specimen is attached to the sampling tool that is taken out. In the case of liquid specimens, smearing can also be performed immediately after collection (without insertion or immersion in preservation solution or Calibre medium). Thus, when the tip of the sampling device is brought into contact with the medium surface and moved along the medium surface, the liquid containing the pinched material adhering to the surface of the sampling device flows down the surface of the sampling device and onto the medium surface. smeared. At this time, similar to the relationship between a pen or paintbrush and paper, as the smearing progresses, the concentration of the sample to be tested gradually decreases until it becomes impossible to smear it. That is, a gradient of smear concentration is created along the spiral smear pattern, and isolated colonies are formed at appropriate concentration areas.

The relative movement speed between the culture medium surface and the sampling tool (coating speed) is
It is determined by the rotational speed of the rotary disk supporting the culture medium and the relative movement speed between the chuck and the rotary disk, and the faster the coating bed speed, the diluted the smear concentration. Therefore, assuming that the medium is rotating at a constant speed, the smear concentration will be thinner at a position near the periphery than at a position near the center of rotation of the medium.

The rotation of the sampling device is preferably such that the longitudinal axis of the sampling device is vertically oriented and the sampling device is rotated about the longitudinal axis. It is presumed that the rotation of the collection tool reduces the adhesion force of the specimen to the collection tool due to centrifugal force, and promotes the flow down due to gravity. Therefore, the rotational speed of the sampling tool during smearing should be kept at a speed that does not allow the specimen to scatter from the sampling tool due to centrifugal force, taking into account the viscosity of the specimen, the amount of the specimen adhered to the sampling tool, etc. Stay within. By adjusting the rotational speed of the sampling tool, the flow rate of the specimen can be adjusted. Furthermore, if an excessive amount of specimen is attached to the sampling tool, the sampling tool can be rapidly rotated to scatter the excess specimen. At this time, it is possible to adjust the excess sample to a desired appropriate amount by adjusting the rotational speed of the sampling tool corresponding to the viscosity (adhesive force) of the sample. Incidentally, it is desirable to remove excess specimen by separating the collection tube from its container, placing the tip of the collection tool inside the container, and above the surface of the storage solution or Calibre medium.

Another method for promoting the flow of the specimen is to vibrate the collection tool during the smearing operation. The vibration may be achieved by actively vibrating the collection tool, or by pressing the collection tool against the culture medium surface using biasing means (e.g., coil spring, air spring, etc.) during relative movement between the culture medium surface and the collection tool. , vibration may be produced as a result of the relative movement.

Furthermore, the flow of the specimen can be promoted by combining the rotation and vibration of the sampling tool described above.

Furthermore, as another method for promoting the flow of the test object, the liquid may be allowed to flow down little by little along the surface of the sampling tool during the smearing operation, and the test object may flow down along with the liquid. This method has the effect of diluting the concentration of the analyte and imparts a concentration gradient to the spiral smear pattern. This method can be used in combination with either or both of the above two methods.

Furthermore, as a method for removing an excessive amount of the specimen, the tip of the collection device is raised above the preservation solution or Calibrea medium in the collection tube, and the fluid (gas, liquid, or both) is applied to the stool collection body in the container. may be sprayed with a mixture of However, with this method, it is necessary to take care to prevent the test object from scattering from inside the container.

The rotation of the medium is preferably performed around the center of the medium surface with the medium surface oriented horizontally. The faster the rotation of the medium, the greater the bed speed, provided that the sampling tool is not at the center of rotation of the medium. The rotation speed of the medium was determined by adjusting the speed of the chuck and rotary disk so that double coating was avoided and the spacing between adjacent spiral curves in the spiral smear pattern was appropriate for forming isolated colonies. It is determined depending on the speed of relative movement of the sample, the amount of the object to be tested, the flow rate, etc.

The relative movement between the chuck and the rotary disk may be a linear movement from the center of rotation of the rotary disk in a radial direction (outside), or a linear movement from the periphery of the rotary disk in a centripetal direction (inward). Although other forms of relative movement are possible (e.g.
(spiral motion with one end at the center of rotation of the rotary disk), it only complicates the motion and has no practical benefit.

When the rotation of the culture medium and the relative movement of the chuck and rotating disk in the radial or centripetal direction are both constant, the spiral smear pattern will be formed as the distance between adjacent spiral curved sections increases outward from the center. increases. Therefore, in order to maintain a constant spacing between adjacent spiral curved portions, either the rotation speed of the culture medium is gradually increased, the relative movement speed between the chuck and the rotary disk is gradually decreased, or both. This allows the length of the spiral curve of the smear pattern to be maximized in the same area. By increasing the length of the spiral pattern, it is possible to extend the concentration gradient of the smear. Needless to say, provided that the rotational speed of the rotary disk and the relative movement speed between the chuck and the rotary disk are constant, when the direction of relative movement between the chuck and the rotary disk is in the radial direction, the smear speed is (relative movement speed between the stool collection body and the culture medium) gradually increases, which has the effect of diluting the smear concentration as the smear progresses, and the relative movement direction between the chuck and the rotary disk becomes centripetal. In this case, the smearing speed gradually slows down as the smearing progresses, which has the effect of increasing the smear density.

Thus, the amount and viscosity of the sample adhered to the sampling tool.

By appropriately changing the flow rate, the rotational speed of the collection tool, the rotational speed of the rotary disk, the direction and speed of relative movement between the chuck and the rotary disk, etc., various smearing modes are possible.

Furthermore, when the tip of the collection tool is brought into contact with the rotation center of the culture medium and the chuck and rotary disk are not moved relative to each other, the specimen flows down to the rotation center of the culture medium. Utilizing this, the relative movement between the chuck and the rotating disk may be started after the excess sample is allowed to flow down to the center of rotation of the culture medium. At this time, the flow rate from the collection tool can be detected and adjusted by appropriate detection means. For example, the amount of the sample flowing down per unit time is determined by using an optical detection means to detect when the sample reaches a point a predetermined distance from the center of rotation of the culture medium, and the amount of time required to detect the sample reaches a point that is a predetermined distance away from the center of rotation of the medium. , can be estimated from the viscosity of the sample. Alternatively, the tip of the sampling tool may be formed of a colorless transparent, colored transparent, or white to light-colored material, and the transparency or brightness of the tip of the sampling tool may be determined by an optical detection means. At this time, if the test substance itself is colorless, transparent, or nearly so, a dye or fine pigment can be mixed into the medium or Calibre medium in advance to make it easier to detect by optical detection means.

Preferred embodiments of the method of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of preferred embodiments of the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, there is shown a collection tube 5 having a container 2 containing a preservation solution or a Calibre medium 1 and a collection device 4 integrally attached to a cap 3 of the container, a container 7 containing a medium 6, and a lid 8. It is shown that a culture vessel 9 having a culture vessel 9 is used.

The device includes a culture container transport means IO1, a collection tube transport means 20,
Collection tool attachment/detachment means 30, chuck means 40, collection tool rotation means 50, collection tool lifting/lowering means 60, chaff 2 rotary plate relative movement means 70, rotation warning means 80, lid opening/closing means 90, adhesion amount detection means 10O1 control means 110 has.

FIG. 2a shows a plan view of the culture container conveying means 0, and FIG. 2a shows a sectional view taken along line B--B in FIG. 2a. The culture container transport means IO moves the culture container 9 to the smearing position (rotary disk means 80
The culture container 5 that has been smeared is carried out from the smearing position to the next appropriate location. Since the carrying-in mechanism and the carrying-out mechanism are substantially the same, with some exceptions, only one of them will be illustrated and described. The culture container transport means IO on the carry-in side is, for example, the stacker 14 (FIG. 1).
A gutter-like structure 11 with a U-shaped groove that guides the culture containers pushed out from the gutter in a line, and a stopper 12 that temporarily stops the movement of the culture containers 9 at the downstream end of the gutter 11.
] Below the bottom of the trough 11, the bushing 13 is driven along an elliptical trajectory along a vertical plane. The gutter 11 has a bottom plate 11a and a pair of side plates 11b.
A pair of parallel slits llc are cut in the bottom plate 11a in the transport direction (arrow A). The stopper 12 is, for example, a bearing 12a fixed to a machine frame (not shown).
and has an arm 12b rotatably supported by a suitable drive means (not shown) between a lowered position, which prevents movement of the culture vessel 9 in the gutter 11, and a raised position, which allows movement of the culture vessel 9. Rotated.

The bushing 13 has a connecting plate 13a disposed in parallel directly below the bottom plate 11a, and a pair of extension portions 13b extending upward from the connecting plate. (dot-dashed line). After the arm 12b of the stopper 12 is driven to the upper position, the puller 13 starts moving from the retreated position shown by the solid line in the conveying direction (arrow A) on the elliptical track, during which the extension portion 13
b protrudes above the bottom plate 11a through the slit llc, respectively, and transports the culture container 9. After the extension portion 13b has passed the stopper position, the stopper 12 is again driven to the lower position to stop the next culture vessel 9 to be sent. The extension portion 13b sinks below the bottom plate 11a during the retreating movement, and protrudes again above the bottom plate 11a behind the culture container 9 to be transported next (solid line position). By repeating the above-described operations, the culture vessels 9 are sequentially transported to the rotary disk means 80. Of course, the culture container conveying means IO may be a device such as a belt conveyor (not shown) that is driven intermittently. The above-mentioned and various other conveying means for conveying articles in series are generally known in the mechanical arts, and any other known conveying means may be used so long as they are compatible with the present invention.

The collection tool conveying means 20 transfers the collection tube 5 to the collection tool attachment/detachment means 30.
hand over to. The collection tool transport means 20 may have a mechanism substantially similar to the culture container transport means IO. In the illustrated collection tool 5, the planar outline of the cap 3 has a larger diameter than the planar outline of the container 2, and the container 2 is vertically elongated like a conventional test tube and has a rounded bottom.
Not suitable for standing upright by itself on a flat surface. Therefore, the longitudinal axes of the plurality of collection tubes 5 are oriented perpendicularly to the gutter 21 having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal axis of the collection tubes, and the plurality of collection tubes 5 are aligned in a line, similar to the above-mentioned culture container conveying means. One or more bushings 22 (drawn on the bottom in FIG. 1 for convenience) may be provided on the sides of the gutter 21 to convey the collection tube 5. Alternatively, the lower surface of the cap protruding from the side of the container may be supported between two parallel endless belts or endless wires driven by a plurality of idle pulleys with vertical rotation axes and at least one pair of drive pulleys. , a mechanism (not shown) can be used to transport the collection tubes 5 in a row.

Such mechanisms are also well known in the mechanical arts and therefore require no further explanation. Further, any other known conveying means may be used.

The collection tool attaching/detaching means 30 receives the collection tube 5 from the collection tube conveying means 20, attaches and detaches the collection tool 4 to the chuck means 40 (to be described later), and after putting the smeared collection tool 4 back into the original container 2. , the used collection tube 5 is disposed of in a waste tank (not shown). Devices that perform operations similar to such operations are also well known in the mechanical arts. For example, in automatic processing equipment for metal products, there is an automatic tool changer mechanism that transfers a tool such as a drill to a chuck in a machining center. Such a mechanism can be used as is in the present invention. FIG. 3 shows collection tube attaching/detaching means 3 similar to such a mechanism.
FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation axis 3
1, a motor 33, and fingers 34 for gripping the collection tube 5 at both ends of the rotating arm 32.
, a driving means 35 for bringing the collection tube 5 closer to or away from the chuck, and a driving means for opening and closing the fingers 34 (
(not shown).

Fingers 34 may have a plier-like structure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the support plate supporting the motor 33 is driven by a fluid pressure cylinder whose one end is supported by the machine frame, but it is also possible to fix the motor 33 to the machine frame and The rotary arm 32 may be moved relative to the drive shaft of the motor.

The operation mode is such that one finger 34 in an open state receives the collection tube 5 from the collection tube conveying means 20, and the finger 34
is closed and the collection tube 5 is gripped, the rotating arm 32 is rotated 180 degrees, and the collection tube 5 is positioned below the chuck means 40. Thereafter, the collection tube 5 is driven by the drive means 35 toward the chuck means 40, and the cap 3, which is fixed integrally with the collection tool 4, is gripped by the chuck means 40 in a manner described later. The container 2 is separated from the cap 3 and the collection tool 4 by rotating with the rotation means. In order to allow axial movement of the container and the cap by unscrewing the container 2 and the cap 3, a biasing means (not shown) is provided on either the chuck means 40 or the attachment/detachment means 30, or It is necessary to retreat. Thereafter, if necessary, the rotary arm 32 and the container 2 of the collection tube are driven in a direction away from the chuck means 40 and the collection tool 4 supported by it, and the tip of the collection tool 4 is removed from the storage solution or the Cali Brea medium l. drawer,
The chuck means 40 is rotated at a desired speed corresponding to the viscosity of the specimen to remove an excess amount of the specimen. This makes it possible to roughly remove excess amounts. Rotating arm 32
Then, the chuck means 40 and the collection tool 4 of the container 2 are also moved back, and the rotating arm 32 is rotated by 90 degrees. After the smearing is completed, the rotary arm 32 and the container 2 supported thereon are rotated 90 degrees and the chuck means 40 and the collection tool 4 are rotated again.
The container 2 is pressed against the sampling tool 4 by the driving means 35. In this state, the chuck means 40 is rotated and the container 2 is combined with the collection tool 4. At this time,
The other finger 34 of the rotating arm 32 receives a new collection tube 5 from the collection tube transport means 20 . After the chuck means 40 releases the collection tube 5, the driving means 35 retreats from the chuck means 40 while holding the collection tube 5, rotates 90 degrees, and then moves the finger 3 that grips the used collection tube 5.
4 is opened and disposed of in a waste tank (not shown). Furthermore, the rotating arm rotates 90 degrees, and the operation of mounting a new sampling tool 5 is started in the same procedure as above. When the collection tool 4 of the collection tube 5 and the container 2 are not screwed together but are pushed together, the chuck means 40 after the collection tube 5 or the container 2 is pressed against the chuck means 40 in the attachment/detachment operation. rotation is not necessary. The retracting movement of the drive means 35 separates the container 2 from the cap 3 and collection tool 4. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the collection tool attachment/detachment means 30 is not limited to the embodiment described above, but any other mechanism known in the mechanical arts may be used.

The chuck means 40 connects the collection tube 5 from the collection tool attaching/detaching means 30.
When the container 3 is supplied, the container 3 is grasped.

Such chuck means themselves are well known in mechanical technology and are known in various forms, so their construction will not be described in detail. The chuck means 40 securely holds the container 2 during the separation of the cap 3 and the collection tool 4 from the container 2, the smearing operation, and the combining operation of the cap 3 and the collection tool 4 with the container by the collection tool attaching/detaching means 30 described above. and grasp it. If the sampling tool 4 is to be actively vibrated in order to promote the flow of the specimen, a vibrator (not shown) may be attached to the chuck means 40. Various types of vibrators are known, such as those that operate electromagnetically and those that operate an eccentric rotating body electrically, and any other known types may be used.

Furthermore, in order to facilitate the flow of the specimen down, when the liquid is caused to flow down along the collection tool 4, the liquid reservoir (not shown) and the supply pipe (not shown) are placed close to the chuck means. All you have to do is place it. If necessary, a sterilizing liquid tank (not shown) and a supply pipe (not shown) can be provided to sterilize the outside of the supply pipe in contact with the collection tool. The sterilizing liquid supply pipe must be movable so as not to impede the vertical movement of the chuck means. Generally, such means are well known;
Descriptions are omitted to avoid redundancy.

The elevating means 50 has an attachment/detachment position where the collection tool 5 is attached to and removed from the chuck means 40 by the collection tool attachment/detachment means 30, and a position where the collection tool 4 is brought into contact with the surface of the culture medium in the culture container 9 supported on the rotating wheel means 80, which will be described later. The chuck means 40 is raised and lowered between the contact position and the contact position. Such lifting means themselves are well known in mechanical technology and are known in various forms, so their construction will not be described in detail. In the accompanying drawings, a lifting member 51 and a guide member 52 are shown, and the means for driving the lifting member is shown as an air cylinder 53. Other drive means include electromagnetic solenoids, cam drive mechanisms, hydraulic cylinders, crank mechanisms, etc.
Any known driving means may be used. In order to bring the collection tool 4 into contact with the culture medium surface with a desired pressure, the weight of the chuck means 40 may be used, or the chuck means may be pressed downward via a biasing means (not shown). When an air cylinder is used as the above-mentioned driving means, it can also serve as this biasing means. If necessary, a pressure regulating valve (not shown) can be provided to keep the pressure constant.

The sampling tool rotation means 60 rotates the sampling tool gripped by the chuck means 50 about its longitudinal axis. In the accompanying drawings, a rotating shaft 6], a rotating shaft 6] engaged with the elevating member 51 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction and relatively non-rotatable.
A drive gear 6 that meshes with the gear 62]
3. It is shown as a motor 64 with a drive gear 63 fixed to the drive shaft. However, the sampling tool rotation means 60 may also be any other rotation means known in the mechanical arts.

In the accompanying drawings, the chuck 7-rotary disk relative moving means 70 is fixed to a machine frame (not shown) and includes a worm wheel 71 and a worm 72 that are reversibly rotatable by a motor (not shown). It has a frame 73 fixed at both ends, and the frame 73 supports the guide member 52 of the elevating means 50 and the motor of the sampling tool rotating means 60. Thus, when the ohm wheel 71 is rotated in one direction,
When the frame 73 moves in one direction (e.g. to the left in the figure) and the worm wheel 71 is rotated in the opposite direction,
Frame 73 moves in the opposite direction. That is, in the illustrated embodiment, the chuck means 40 is moved relative to the rotary disk means 80. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the mechanical arts that the rotary disk means 80 may be moved relative to the chuck means 40. Furthermore, various types of mechanisms for reversibly moving one member in a straight line are known in mechanical technology, and any known type of moving means may be used.

The rotary disk means 80 is shown in the accompanying drawings as comprising a motor 8] and a rotary disk 82 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor. However, a gear mechanism (not shown) that accelerates or decelerates the rotational speed of the motor 8 and a support means (not shown) that fixedly supports the culture container 9 on the rotary disk can be provided. Such means are well known in mechanical technology and various types of construction are known. Therefore,
Drawings and descriptions of these details will be omitted.

If necessary, a means (not shown) for positioning and fixing the culture container 9 supplied from the culture container transport means 10 on the rotary disk 82 can be provided. Such means are well known in the logistics art and may, for example, be a pair of relatively movable gripping means (not shown).

The lid opening/closing means 90 is shown in the accompanying drawings as having an arm 92 rotatably supported on a rotation shaft 91, a suction cup 93, and a vacuum source 94. Vacuum source 94
and suction cup 93 are connected by suitable piping 95 (indicated by dotted lines) between which suction cup 93 is connected to vacuum source 9
4 and the atmosphere.
is provided, and the suction cup is connected to either the vacuum region 94 or the atmosphere during the opening/closing operation of the lid. In the drawing, the arm 92 is shown as if it is arranged parallel to the transport direction (arrow A) of the culture container 9 in the culture container transport means 10, but in reality, the arm 92 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper. The lid of the culture container is shown to be moved from the lifting path by rotation of the arm 92 so that the lid of the culture container does not interfere with the lifting and lowering movement of the collection tool 4. However, devices for opening the lid of a container and placing something inside the container are well known in the mechanical arts, and various types of mechanisms are known. Therefore, the lid opening/closing means 90 is not limited to what is shown in the drawings, and may be any type of mechanism known in the art.

The adhesion amount detection means 100 is based on the type of object to be inspected.

Various types of means are available depending on the nature, type of culture medium, properties, shape and color of the stool collection body, etc. for example,
Using an optical detection means for detecting the brightness of the surface of the sampling tool 4, the sampling tool rotation means 30 and/or the rotary disk means 80 are rotated until the brightness of the surface of the sampling tool reaches the predetermined value. When reached, the chuck/turntable relative movement means 70 can be activated. When the amount of adhered specimen is insufficient, the rotational speed of the sampling tool is increased according to the extent of the problem. When detecting the flow rate of the specimen flowing down from the collection tool 4, the reflection of light from a point on the culture medium surface that is a predetermined distance away from the position where the collection tool 4 contacts the culture medium surface is measured. Using an optical detection means to measure the time it takes for the falling sample to reach the measurement point, the amount of adhesion and the time required for the excess sample to flow down are determined from the viscosity of the sample. Then, similarly to the above, the operation of the chuck/rotary disk relative moving means 70 is delayed for the estimated time. However, this method is not suitable when the amount of adhered sample is insufficient. Therefore, it is preferable to bring the collection tool into contact with the surface of the culture medium with a slight excess of the specimen attached.

The control means 110 is an operation mode of the above-mentioned means.

Controls operation order and timing. Of course, it is desirable to be able to change the program to change the control details when using different specimens, different culture vessels, different culture media, different collection tools, etc. Such control techniques are well known in mechanical and electronic technology and will not be described in detail. Thus, with the device described above, the smearing of the specimen can be completely automated.

Although the most desirable specific example of the device of the present invention has been described above, it is now clear that a device for carrying out the basic method of the present invention can be constructed by omitting some of the means of the above-mentioned specific examples. Probably.

Although some specific examples of the method and apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific examples, and various changes can be made without departing from the present invention. For example, when smearing onto many types of culture media from the same specimen, one collection tool 4 attached to one collection tube 5 may be used.
Components from different media may be mixed into other media. In such a case, means for supplying a new sterilized collection tool 4 can be provided in parallel with the collection tube conveying means 20, so that a new collection tool 4 can be used for a different culture medium. The structure of such additional means is similar to the collection tool transport means 20 and therefore does not require explanation.

Furthermore, means for reading the identification marks attached to a large number of collection tubes 5 and means for writing the read identification codes on the culture vessels 9 are provided, or the identification codes attached to the collection tubes 5 and the culture vessels 9 are provided. It is also possible to read the identification code attached to the memory, store the correspondence therebetween, and output the stored information as necessary. It is also possible to store the above-mentioned stored information and determination information from a means for automatically determining the culture result in association with each other, and output the stored information.

Such techniques are also well known in the information processing arts and therefore will not be described in detail.

Effects of the Invention In recent years, due to advances in microbiology, hygiene, physiology, biotechnology, etc., cultivation of various microorganisms, cells of animals and plants, etc., has been actively carried out, and moreover, cultivation is being carried out in large quantities. In such a situation, in view of the fact that the smearing work of the test object is still performed manually, the method and device of the present invention not only make the smearing work of the test subject much more efficient, but also , can be carried out without requiring large numbers of skilled workers and therefore also at low cost.

The most central feature of the present invention is the rotation of the collection tool, and even if there is an excess or deficiency in the amount of sample adhered, it is possible to efficiently smear by adjusting the rotation speed of the collection tool. This is what I did. Furthermore, an excess amount of the specimen adhering to the sampling tool can be removed within the container of the sampling tube.

Excess amount of the analyte can be detected by optical detection means and allowed to flow down onto the culture medium to obtain the desired smear concentration and concentration gradient.

In addition to the above-mentioned features, there is also the adjustment of the smearing speed (relative movement between the chuck and the rotary disk, the speed and direction of the rotation of the rotary disk)
This makes it possible to efficiently apply a smear with an appropriate concentration gradient.

Since the collection tool attached to the disposable collection tube is used as the smear tool, there is no risk of contamination. Moreover, since the smear tool (collection tool) is sealed in the container of the collection tube and disposed of, it is extremely superior from the viewpoint of public health.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view explaining the method of the present invention and showing the configuration of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 a is a schematic plan view of the culture container conveying means, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the means for attaching and detaching the collection tool. Explanation of symbols 5: collection tube, 9: culture container, 10: culture container transport means,
ll: gutter, 12: stopper, 13: pusher, 14 stacker, 20: collection tube conveyance means, 21: gutter, 22: bumper, 30: collection tool attachment/detachment means, 31: rotating shaft, 32: rotating arm, 33: Motor, 34: Gripping fingers, 35:
Driving means, 40: Chuck means, 50: Lifting means, 51
: Lifting member, 52: Guide member, 60: Collection tool rotation means,
6]: Rotating shaft, 62: Gear, 63: Drive gear, 64: Motor, 70: Chuck/rotary disk relative movement means, 71: Ohm wheel, 72: Worm, 73: Frame, 8
0: rotary disk means, 8]: motor, 82: rotary disk, 90:
Lid opening/closing means, 91: Rotating shaft, 92: Arm, 93: Suction cup, 94: Vacuum source, 95: Piping, 96: Switching valve, 10
0: Adhesive amount detection means, 110: Control means, Applicant Elmes Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Fumi Suhara Doma Doma Taketabe hand string amendment (method) % formula % 1. Indication of the case Patented in 1988 Application No. 225800 2. Name of the invention 4. Agent address 1-5 20 Sankyo Building 705, 3-1 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102 (location) 237-0291 6. Appropriate drawings subject to amendment 7. Amendment Contents: Engraving of the drawing originally attached to the application, as shown in the attached sheet (no change in content)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] [1] A sampling device is supported on a chuck means, a culture medium is supported on a rotating disk, the sampling device is brought into contact with a predetermined point on the surface of the culture medium, and the sampling device is rotated so that the center of the culture medium surface is A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium, the method comprising rotating the culture medium around the medium and relatively moving the chuck means and the rotary disk along the surface of the culture medium. [2] A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium according to claim 1, wherein the relative movement between the chuck means and the rotary disk is a linear motion. [3] A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium according to the method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation speed of the culture medium is gradually changed. [4] Any one of claims 1 to 3
The method described in paragraph 1, characterized in that the relative moving speed between the chuck means and the rotary disk is gradually changed.
Method of smearing the test substance onto the medium. [5] Any one of claims 1 to 4
A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium according to the method described in 1. [6] Any one of claims 1 to 5
A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium, which method is characterized in that the sampling device is vibrated during the smearing operation. [7] Any one of claims 1 to 6
In the method described in 1., the liquid is allowed to flow down little by little from above the collection tool along the surface thereof during the smearing operation, thereby promoting the flow of the test material onto the medium. How to smear things. [8] Any one of claims 1 to 7
In the method described in Section 1, after the sampling tools come into contact with the culture medium surface, each is rotated at the initial contact position for a desired period of time, until the amount of the sample adhered to the surface of the sampling device reaches a predetermined reference value. A method for smearing a test substance onto a culture medium, which comprises starting rotation of the culture medium and relative movement between the collection tool and the culture medium after reaching the target temperature. [9] Any one of claims 1 to 8
2. In the method described in 1., prior to smearing the test material, the collection tool is rotated within the container of the collection tube to remove an excess amount of the test material. How to smear things. [10] A chuck means for supporting the stool collection body, and an attachment/detachment position for attaching or detaching a collection tool to the chuck means;
Lifting means for moving the chuck means between a contact position for bringing the collection tool into contact with the culture medium surface; Collection tool rotation means for rotating the chuck means; rotary disk means for rotating the culture medium; and rotation with the chuck means. A smearing device for a test object, comprising a chuck/rotary disk relative moving means for relatively moving the disk means. [11] In the device according to claim 10,
The relative movement between the chuck means and the rotary disk means is in a radial direction with respect to the center of rotation of the culture medium.
A device for smearing the specimen. [12] The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, comprising a culture container conveying means, a collection tube conveying means,
It further includes a collection tool attaching/detaching means, a lid opening/closing means, and a control means. The collection tube transporting means supplies the collection tube to the collection tool attachment/detaching means, and the collection tool attachment/detaching means receives the collection tube from the collection tube transportation means and transfers the collection tube to the chuck means at the attachment/detachment position. The cap is gripped, the container is separated from the cap and the collection tool fixed thereto, the used collection tool is received from the chuck means into the container, combined, and then discarded, and the lid opening/closing means is placed on a rotary disk. A test object smearing device, characterized in that a lid of a culture container is opened and closed, and the control means controls the operation of each of the above means. [13] In the device according to claim 12,
It has a means for detecting an excess or deficiency of the sample adhered to the surface of the sampling tool, and adjusts the flow rate and/or smearing rate of the sample from the surface of the sampling tool according to the detected excess or deficiency. A smearing device for a test object, which is adjustable. [14] The test object smearing device according to claim 12, further comprising means for detecting an appropriate value of the flow rate of the test object from the collection tool.