JPH04716Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field The present invention relates to containers for isolating and cultivating various microorganisms, and more specifically, the invention relates to containers for separating and culturing various microorganisms, and more specifically, the invention relates to containers for isolating and culturing various microorganisms, and more specifically, the invention relates to containers for separating and culturing various microorganisms. This invention relates to a cylindrical container for microorganism isolation and culture.

Prior Art Containers for isolating and/or culturing bacteria include jars, Petri dishes, boxes, roll tubes, and plate-in containers.
Plate in bottles have been proposed and put into practical use. The method of using roll tubes in these containers is a method of inoculating and culturing microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment, that is, by injecting gas from which oxygen has been removed and sterilizing them under high pressure, which prevents the formation of peroxides. It is possible, and the fishing bacteria in the village,
Even when transplanting, it can be operated in an oxygen-free environment,
It has characteristics such as the ability to easily create a medium with a low redox potential. The roll tube method is originally used for culture using agar media, but the roll tube culture vessel can also be used for anaerobic culture using liquid media. Therefore, it is excellent for isolating and culturing bacteria that require a particularly high degree of anaerobicity, and is widely used because it is easy to operate.

A representative example of the conventional method is an anaerobic bacteria culture container manufactured by Bellco Glass Inc., which has a configuration as shown in FIG. This separation and culture container has a cylindrical separation and culture container main body 11 which has an opening at the upper end and a slightly narrowed neck near the opening.
and a removable and pierceable septum 12 attached to the main body 11 to ensure airtightness within the main body 11.
and a screw cap member 13 for fixing the opening from the outside. The separation/cultivation container main body 11 has a screw thread in the above-mentioned neck portion,
On the other hand, the cap member 13 also has a thread formed on its inner surface, which is screwed into the opening to fix the septum.

In addition, containers similar to the above culture containers having the following configuration are also commercially available. This device (not shown) basically has the same structure as the culture container described above, but the opening of the cylindrical container body does not have a thread, and instead has an annular overhang near the end of the opening. It has a department. In this embodiment, the septum is fixed by attaching the septum to the cylindrical body and then attaching and clasping the aluminum cap member with holes from the outside using a seal crimper, and fitting the septum into the overhang. Therefore, the aluminum cap member in this case is of a disposable type.

Rubber is widely used as a material for the septum in both containers, as it has good airtightness and does not cause mass transfer inside and outside the cylindrical container body. Among rubbers, butyl rubber has extremely low permeability to oxygen, so it is widely used especially for cultivating highly anaerobic bacteria.

According to the above-mentioned separation/cultivation container, the target microorganism can be grown under optimal environmental conditions with the screw cap member or aluminum cap member and septum blocking material transfer to the outside. , can perform tasks such as isolating, culturing, and preserving microorganisms. Sample collection and injection can also be accomplished by inserting a syringe needle through a small aperture and septum in the center of the head of the cap member.

Problems that the invention aims to solve When searching for and isolating new microorganisms or in clinical bacterial testing, it is necessary to screen a large number of coexisting bacterial groups, isolate bacteria with desired characteristics, or separate each type of bacteria. It is necessary to accurately identify these, and in such cases it is necessary to culture the collected samples under predetermined environmental conditions. During this culture, the growth conditions differ depending on the type of bacteria, and it is important in the above operation to set the optimal environmental conditions. Therefore, various separation/culture vessels have been proposed and put into practical use.

By the way, when multiple microorganisms are inoculated into a certain medium, they do not all grow uniformly.
The types of bacteria and the number density of bacteria grow preferentially in those that are most adapted to certain specific environmental conditions, and as the environmental conditions change, new bacteria become active. Changes greatly over time. Furthermore, when a longitudinally long cylindrical culture container is used, differences in environmental conditions occur along the length of the culture container, often resulting in a distribution of microorganisms in the area where they exist. Or again,
Special bacteria with phototaxis, magnetotaxis, etc. also have a certain distribution state within the culture container.

Therefore, if you want to selectively collect only the target bacteria, it becomes necessary to collect only a certain part of the culture medium, and a culture container suitable for this purpose as shown in Figure 3 is used. has been proposed and used.

However, the container for separating and culturing microorganisms shown in FIG. 3 has only one opening at the upper end of the cylindrical container body, and therefore,
In order to collect, for example, a sample from the bottom of the sample inside the cylindrical container body, it was necessary to use a syringe needle that was longer than usual. Particularly when the cylindrical container body is long, this results in various disadvantages. That is, when collecting a sample from the bottom of the cylindrical container, a long syringe needle must be inserted through the contents of the container from the opening at the top, which may disturb the distribution of the sample within the cylindrical container. or mutual contamination of bacterial flora. Furthermore, there is also the problem that it becomes difficult to control the amount of sample collected. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a container for separating and culturing microorganisms that can solve the problems of conventional separation and culturing containers as described above.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to easily take out only a sample from a specific part of the container to the outside of the container, without disturbing the distribution of the sample in the container as much as possible, and without causing mutual contamination of bacterial flora. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container for separating and culturing microorganisms that can sufficiently control the amount of microorganisms to be collected.

Means for Solving the Problems In view of the above-mentioned current state of conventional containers for separating and culturing microorganisms, the present inventors have found that it is advantageous to provide a cylindrical container with at least two openings, We found that the above-mentioned conventional problems could be solved and completed the present invention.

That is, the container for separating and culturing microorganisms of the present invention is a cylindrical container for separating and culturing microorganisms having at least two openings.
It is characterized by comprising a culture container body, a removable and punctureable septum attached to the opening, and a cap member having a puncture hole in the center for fixing the opening from the outside. .

The openings are preferably provided at at least two locations selected from the upper end, side surface, and lower end of the cylindrical separation/culture container body. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the openings can be provided at two locations, at the top and bottom ends of the container body, which is particularly advantageous when it is necessary to collect bacterial flora growing at the top and bottom.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one opening can be provided on the side surface, for example, in the center, in addition to the two openings in the above embodiment.
In this example, it is possible to advantageously collect bacteria from above and below the container body, as well as from the center or a predetermined position.

In addition to the above, for example, a structure in which all the openings are arranged on the side surface of the container body is also within the scope of the present utility model.

Furthermore, there is no particular restriction on the shape of the container body, and it can be cylindrical, polygonal, etc., and the opening placed on the side does not necessarily have to be perpendicular to the side, but may be inclined at a certain angle. It can also be installed in any condition.

The microorganism isolation/culture container of the present invention can be applied to both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. For example, when applying to aerobic bacteria, an air-permeable septum may be selected, while when applying to anaerobic bacteria, a septum made of a highly airtight material may be used. Therefore, the material for the septum is appropriately selected from known materials depending on the properties of the target bacteria, and rubber is generally used. Also,
Particularly in the case of anaerobic microorganisms, butyl rubber is used because it is advantageous in terms of airtightness.

Furthermore, the cylindrical container body can be made of easily moldable transparent plastic material, glass, etc., and the cap member can be made of plastic material, glass, or aluminum or steel if mechanical strength such as pressure resistance is required. , stainless steel, or other alloys.

Finally, the septum can be fixed by screwing the cap member into the thread provided in the opening as in the past, by using a seal crimper using the annular projection, or by heat fitting. Both can be used and can be used depending on the target to be cultured and other purposes.

Action Containers for isolation and cultivation of microorganisms, especially long tubular containers, should be carefully cleaned when microorganisms are distributed within the container or when special microorganisms with phototaxis, magnetotaxis, etc. are handled. It is often necessary to collect only specific bacteria that are distributed in the depth or length direction.

Under these circumstances, the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 3 has caused various problems as already described in detail.

Therefore, there was a need for a separation/cultivation container that could reliably collect only the bacteria growing in the target area without causing such problems. That is, there is a need to develop a container that allows sample collection without disturbing the distribution of bacteria in areas other than the target area as much as possible, and while minimizing mutual contamination of bacteria.

In this regard, the microorganism isolation/culture container according to the present invention has a cylindrical microorganism isolation/culture container body with an upper end,
At least two openings are provided at the side and lower end positions, a removable and punctureable septum is attached to the openings, and the septum is tightened from the outside with a screw using a cap member having a puncture hole. The septum is configured to be fitted into an annular projection provided near the opening of the container body using a dropper or seal crimper, and therefore the sample portion to be collected within the cylindrical container body. By selecting the opening closest to the septum and inserting the syringe needle into the septum through the puncture opening in the cap, it becomes possible to easily collect the desired sample inside the container with a syringe, and all of the above requirements for the container are met. It will be fulfilled.

In addition, since the sample of the target area is collected from the closest opening, there is no risk of disturbing the distribution of the sample within the cylindrical container body, and mutual contamination of bacteria can be prevented, making it easy to obtain the desired sample. It becomes possible to collect samples. Furthermore, the amount of sample collected can be accurately controlled.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the container for separating and culturing microorganisms of the present invention will be specifically explained according to examples described based on the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the scope of the present invention is not limited in any way by the following examples.

Embodiment 1 A preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in the first embodiment.
Shown in the figure. In this example, an opening is provided at the lower end of the conventional separation/cultivation container shown in Fig. 3, making it possible to collect samples from the lower end (see the solid line in Fig. 1). ).

That is, this embodiment mainly uses the cylindrical container body 21.
, a septum 22 , and a cap member 23 . The detailed structure of each opening is the same, and is shown as an exploded view enlarged within a circle. The vicinity of the opening 24 is somewhat narrower than the main body, and a screw thread 25 is formed on the outer side thereof. The septum 22 has a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the opening, and has an annular projection 26 on its head that is larger than the inside diameter of the opening and functions as a stopper for the septum itself. The cap member 23 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the opening, and a threaded thread 25' is provided on the inner surface of the side thereof. In addition, a small hole 27 is provided in the center of the head of the cap member 23, through which a syringe needle is inserted into the container body 21 to inoculate the culture medium with the inoculum (or sample), and vice versa. Samples can now be taken.

In this example, the opening 2 is further illustrated by a dotted line.
At least one of 8-1 to 28-3 can be provided, for example, one (28-3) in the center of the side, which makes it possible to more ideally sample the desired part. Become.

Of course, the material of the septum is selected depending on the nature of the target to be cultured and isolated.

In this embodiment, a septum stopper 22 is first attached to the opening at the lower end of the container body 21, and then a screw cap 23 is screwed in to fix the septum. Next, the sample is injected into the container main body through the upper end opening, and the upper end opening is also sealed and fixed in the same manner.

Next, the cylindrical container body 21 containing the sample thus prepared is subjected to operations such as isolation, cultivation, and storage of microorganisms in an environment where predetermined conditions are set. In the separation and culture container of this embodiment with such a configuration, when collecting only a sample from a specific part of the container outside the container, the desired sample position can be extracted from either the upper end opening or the lower end opening. A sample is collected into the syringe barrel by selecting an opening close to the opening and inserting the syringe needle into the container through the small hole 27 of the cap member 23 and the septum 22 in that area. The same operation can also be performed when injecting a sample into a specific part of the container.

Example 2 In the microorganism isolation/culture container of the present invention, as shown by dotted lines in FIG.
8-3 may be provided only on the side of the container body 21. It is of course possible to arrange all of these openings on the same side, and by placing them horizontally, it is possible to culture microorganisms with special motility such as phototaxis and magnetotaxis without the influence of gravity. It is suitable for separating and investigating its behavior. Other details are the same as those in Example 1, so explanations will be omitted.

Example 3 The separation/cultivation container of the present invention has openings at the upper and lower ends, and the openings can be sealed and fixed in a manner different from that shown in Fig. 1. It is schematically shown in attached Figure 2.
This example also mainly consists of a separate culture container body 31, a septum 32, and a cap member 33, as in the example shown in FIG. Describing the details of the opening, first, the opening of the container main body has a small-diameter neck portion 34 that is narrowed to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the main body, and an annular overhang portion 35 at the tip thereof, and a septum. The shape of is similar to that in FIG. The cap member 33 is similarly provided with a small hole 36 for inserting a syringe needle in the center of the head, and if the cap member is made of metal, a plurality of vertical cuts 37 are made in the side thereof. The septum is secured by a seal crimper which engages the annular projection of the opening. If the cap member is made of plastic, it goes without saying that the sides of the cap member can be heat-softened and then fitted into the opening and deformed by the protruding parts to engage and fix.

Further, as in Example 1, an opening 38-1 may also be provided at the center of the side surface of the container body 31, so that the container body 31 may have a configuration having openings at three locations: the upper end, the lower end, and the center of the side.

The other configurations, usage, etc. are the same as those in Example 1, and their explanations will be omitted.

Example 4 The container for microorganism isolation and culture of the present invention is as described in Example 2.
Similarly, at least two openings may be provided only on the sides of the container body. Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 2 by dotted lines (3 in the figure).
(An example having two openings 38-1 to 38-3 is shown).

This example is similar to the second embodiment except for the manner in which the cap member is attached to the opening, and the manner in which the cap member is attached is the same as in the third embodiment.

Effects of the invention As described above, according to the invention, openings are provided at two or more locations in the cylindrical microorganism isolation/culture container, so when collecting only a sample from a specific part of the container outside the container, It is possible to select an opening as close as possible to the part to be sampled, and as a result, it is possible to easily selectively sample the target sample without disturbing the distribution of the sample within the container. Furthermore, since the opening can be selected when collecting a sample, there is no need to use a long syringe needle as in the past.

Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the material of the septum, it can be used as a container for the separation and/or cultivation of both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. For example, in the case of anaerobic microorganisms, butyl rubber, which is extremely difficult to transmit oxygen, is used as a septum.
Furthermore, if anaerobic static culture is carried out, the survival rate of highly anaerobic microorganisms will increase as they move from the top to the bottom of the container. This makes it possible to isolate microorganisms that are sexually and obligately anaerobic. Further, it is possible to collect a sample with a desired degree of anaerobicity by determining the distribution state of the sample within the container, and the container of the present invention has a wide range of uses.

Furthermore, the container of the present invention can provide local stimulation to the microorganisms near a specific opening in the container when isolating and/or culturing special microorganisms that have phototaxis, magnetotaxis, chemotaxis, etc. . Therefore, microorganisms with special properties concentrate at the opening of the container, and it is possible to collect a sample from the opening without using a long syringe needle or disturbing the distribution of the sample. covers many areas.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a container for separating and culturing microorganisms in Examples 1 and 2, with a partially exploded diagram, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a container for separating and culturing microorganisms in Examples 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a conventional container for separating and culturing microorganisms. Main reference numbers: 11, 21, 31... Cylindrical container body, 12, 22, 32... Septum, 13, 2
3, 33... Cap member, 24... Opening, 2
5, 25'...Screw thread, 26...Septum overhang,
27, 36...Small hole, 28-1 to 28-3, 38
-1 to 38-3...Opening part, 34...Network part,
35... Annular overhang, 37... Cut.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A cylindrical microorganism isolation/culturing container body having at least two openings, a detachable and pierceable septum attached to each opening, and the septum 1. A container for separating and culturing microorganisms, comprising a cap member having a puncture hole in the center and fixed from the outside. (2) The container for separating and culturing microorganisms according to claim 1, wherein the openings are provided at the upper and lower ends of the container body. (3) The container for separating and culturing microorganisms according to claim 1, wherein the openings are provided at the upper end, the lower end, and the center of the side surface of the container body. (4) The container for separating and culturing microorganisms according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the openings are provided on the side surfaces of the container body. (5) The container for separating and culturing microorganisms according to claim 1, wherein all of the openings are provided on the side surfaces of the container body. (6) The container for isolating and culturing microorganisms according to any one of claims 1 to 5 of the utility model registration claim, wherein the material of the septum is butyl rubber.