KR102005674B1 - Method for measuring virus and mold in air - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for measuring viruses and fungi in air, which comprises the steps of: joining a collection unit into a collecting device; operating the collecting device for a predetermined time to collect at least one of viruses and fungi into the collection unit; separating the collection unit from the collecting device; and choosing whether to detect viruses or fungi wherein, in case of choosing to detect viruses, the collection unit is introduced into a container having a reagent and the viruses collected in the collection unit are dissolved in the reagent; the virus -dissolved reagent is allowed to react in the kit for a predetermined time; and presence of the virus is determined through a change in the kit, thereby enabling a user to measure virus. In addition, in case of choosing to detect fungi, the collection unit is rubbed on an agar plate where the fungi can grow; the agar plate is stored in an incubator for a predetermined time; and the agar plate is taken out from the incubator such that fungi are measured.

Description

METHOD FOR MEASURING VIRUS AND MOLD IN AIR,

The present invention relates to a method for judging the presence or absence of viruses or fungi in the air, which comprises reacting a trapping portion separated from a trapping device for trapping air with a reagent, and detecting air and viruses in the air through the change of the reagent Viruses and fungi.

The air contains many kinds of viruses and fungi in addition to dust, fine dust and pollen, and a huge number of viruses are moving along the air every day. Viruses found in one area are found to be genetically similar viruses even in remote areas. This shows that the virus can move into the air with dust and travel for thousands of kilometers, and the area is not always safe because no viruses are present.

In general, most viruses and fungi do not cause major problems, but some viruses and fungi can not be relieved because they can cause a deadly disease and completely destroy a creature in a certain area.

Accordingly, a number of apparatuses and methods for detecting viruses and fungi in areas susceptible to the occurrence of viruses and fungi have been proposed.

Conventionally, as a method for identifying floating viruses in the air, air was contacted with water to collect the virus in an aqueous solution, and then the virus was identified by a method of analyzing the immune response or DNA. As another method, A method of extracting and analyzing a biological material is used. However, the method of collecting the virus into the aqueous solution by bringing the air into contact with the water or the method of using the filter of the air conditioner must operate the air conditioning system, so that the system size becomes large and consumes a lot of energy.

As another example, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1269173 (Registration Date: 2013.05.23) relates to a method and apparatus for measuring bacteria and viruses using a thin film integrated electronic device, and relates to a thin film integrated with a biomolecule- Using this integrated electronic device, the presence and concentration of bacteria and viruses are measured by measuring the electrochemical change of the thin film by the metabolic action of the bacteria and the virus-induced enzyme reaction.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1269173 (Registration date: May 23, 2013)

The present invention provides a method for detecting viruses and fungi in air at low cost.

The present invention provides a method for rapidly detecting viruses and fungi in a region suspected of contamination of viruses and fungi.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a method for measuring viruses and fungi in air, comprising the steps of: coupling a collecting part to a collecting device; Collecting at least one of viruses and fungi in the air in the collection unit by operating the collection device for a predetermined time; Separating the collecting device and the collecting part; And selecting whether to detect the virus or the fungus; Wherein, in the step of selecting whether to detect the virus or the mold, when the virus detection is selected, the collection section is put into a container provided with a reagent, and the virus collected in the collection section Dissolving in said reagent; Reacting the reagent with the virus dissolved in the kit for a predetermined time; Determining whether the virus is present or absent through the change of the kit; Wherein the virus is measured by the virus, and in the step of selecting whether to detect the virus or mold, rubbing the collecting part on the agar plate capable of growing the mold when selecting the mold detection; Storing the agar plate in an incubator for a predetermined time; And taking out the agar plate from the incubator to measure mold; The mold can be measured.

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of engaging the collecting device with the collecting part, the collecting part is a swab and the swab part of the swab is located in the air flow path of the collecting device.

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of collecting air by the collecting device, the collecting device collects the air at a flow rate of 8-10 lpm (liter per minute).

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of dissolving the virus trapped in the trapping portion with the reagent, the trapping portion is put into 0.5 ml of the reagent and the virus is dissolved by rotating the reagent 10 times.

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of reacting the reagent in which the virus is dissolved in the kit for a fixed time, the reagent in which the virus is dissolved is dropped in the kit by five drops.

Preferably, in the present invention, in reacting the reagent in which the virus is dissolved in the kit for a predetermined time, the kit and the reagent in which the virus is dissolved are allowed to react for 5 to 8 minutes.

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of storing the agar plate in an incubator for a predetermined time, the agar plate is stored in the incubator for 24 hours.

Preferably, in the present invention, the step of combining the collecting part with the collecting device, the step of collecting the virus in the collecting part by operating the collecting device for a predetermined time, separating the collecting device and the collecting part Selecting viruses or fungus detection step and selecting virus or mold detection step, selecting the virus detection, putting the collection part in a container equipped with 0.5 ml of reagent, rotating it 10 times, Dissolving the collected virus with the reagent, dropping the reagent in which the virus is dissolved in the kit to 5 drops, reacting for 5 to 8 minutes, judging whether the virus is present or not through the change of the kit, In the step of selecting the virus or mold detection step, the mold detection is selected, A step of rubbing the collecting part on an agar plate capable of growing mold, a step of storing the agar plate in an incubator for 24 hours, and a step of taking out the agar plate in the incubator to measure a mold. .

Preferably, in the present invention, in the step of collecting air by the collecting device, the collecting device collects the air at a flow rate of 8-10 lpm (liter per minute).

The method for measuring viruses and fungi in air according to the present invention has the effect of detecting viruses and fungi at low cost by using a general cotton swab, without having to provide an expensive dedicated kit.

The present invention detects viruses and fungi in air trapped for a short period of time and can quickly identify the presence or absence of viruses and fungi.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process for measuring viruses and fungi in a virus and fungal trapping apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of a virus and mold trapping apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a view showing the use of the virus and mold collecting apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a view showing a state of measuring viruses collected by the virus and mold collecting apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a view for measuring the mold collected by the virus and mold trapping apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.

The specific structure or functional description presented in the embodiment of the present invention is merely illustrative for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment according to the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various forms. And should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring viruses and fungi in the virus and fungal trapping apparatus according to the present invention.

A method for measuring virus and mold in air according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of (S10) connecting a collecting part to a collecting device, and collecting at least one of viruses and molds in the air in a collecting part by operating a collecting device (S30) of separating the collecting unit and the collecting unit, and a step (S40) of selecting whether to detect the virus or the mold.

In the step S10 of coupling the collecting part to the collecting device, the collecting part is a swab 20, and the part of the cotton swab 22 of the swab 20 is collected by the virus and fungal collecting device 10 In the air flow path 13 of the first embodiment.

In the step S20 of collecting at least one of viruses and fungi in the air by operating the collecting device 10, the collecting device 10 is operated for a predetermined period of time so that viruses and fungi contained in the air To be collected in the collection section.

In the case of selecting virus detection in step S40 of selecting whether viruses or molds are to be detected, the collection section is put into a container provided with a reagent, and the virus collected in the collection section is dissolved in a reagent (S50) of detecting a virus dissolved in a kit (S60), and a step (S70) of judging whether the virus is present or absent by changing the kit.

In the step (S50) of putting the trapping part into the container provided with the reagent and dissolving the virus trapped in the trapping part with the reagent, the swab 20 put in the reagent 32 is agitated to dissolve the virus, So that the virus collected in the swab 20 can react with the reagent 32 sufficiently.

The virus-dissolved reagent 32 is buried in the detection kit 40 in the step of detecting the virus-dissolved reagent in the kit (S60), and reacted for a predetermined period of time. It is sufficient to wait for the reagent 32 and the detection kit 40 to sufficiently react for about 5 to 8 minutes, preferably for 5 minutes.

Finally, in the step S70 of judging whether the virus is present or absent through the change of the kit, the presence of the virus in the air may be detected by looking at the change of the display window 44 of the detection kit 40.

Through these steps, it is possible to easily identify the virus in the air, and if the virus is detected, it will be necessary to input the precise analysis personnel to quantify the virus in the air.

On the other hand, in the case of selecting the detection of the mold in the step S40 of selecting whether to detect the virus or the mold, a step (S10) of combining the collecting part with the collecting device and a step (S20) of collecting the air mold in the collecting part and step (S30) of separating the collecting part and the collecting part are performed in the same manner as the virus detecting process. However, after selecting the detection of the fungus in the step of selecting whether to detect the virus or the fungus (S40), the fungus is kept in a process different from the virus detection process.

In the case of selecting the detection of the mold in the step S40 of selecting whether to detect the virus or the mold, a step S51 of rubbing the collecting part on the agar plate capable of growing the mold, (S61) for storing the cells in the incubator for a period of time, and measuring the mold (S71) by taking out the agar plate from the incubator.

In the step S51 of rubbing the collecting part on the agar plate where the mold can grow, the mold spores on the swab 20 as the collecting part are buried in the agar plate 50. [

The step of storing the agar plate in an incubator for a predetermined time (S61) provides an optimal condition for growth of the fungal spore so that it can grow sufficiently in an incubator.

Finally, the agar plate is taken out from the incubator to measure the mold (S71), and the number of the molds grown in the agar plate 50 can be confirmed by checking the amount of the mold in the air.

2 is a front view of a virus and fungal trapping apparatus according to the present invention.

The collecting device 10 includes an air inlet 12 for sucking outside air into the body 11, an air flow passage 13 through which the sucked air passes, and an air outlet 13 for discharging the sucked air to the outside of the body 11 And a pump 18 for sucking air through the air inlet 12 and discharging air to the air outlet 14 is further provided inside the body 11. [ And an inlet 16 into which a collecting portion such as a swab 20 is inserted so as to collect at least one of viruses and fungi from the inhaled air.

The body portion 11 may be made of metal, plastic, or the like, and may be cylindrical, columnar, or the like.

The air inlet port 12 formed in the body portion 11 is connected to the air outlet port 14 and the air flow port 13 all together. The air inlet port 12 has an inlet portion It would be nice to have this wide spread.

It is preferable that the air flow path 13 and the air discharge port 14 have a size and a shape which allow the air introduced through the air intake port 12 to flow smoothly and be discharged.

On the other hand, the capacity of the pump 18 for sucking air from the air inlet 12 and discharging air to the air outlet 14 must be capable of sucking and discharging the air to a level of 8 to 10 lpm (liter per minute) If it can suck and discharge air smoothly, it will not matter where it is located.

In addition, an inlet 16 is formed on one side of the body part 11 for collecting the air and inputting a collecting part such as a swab 20 on which the virus is seated. The inlet port 16 also serves to guide the trapping part to be positioned in the air flow path 13. Although the inlet port 16 may be located anywhere on the body part 11, it may be largely irrelevant. However, it is preferable to guide the collecting part and the air flow path 13 so that they are positioned vertically. Preferably, It would be better to be located where it can be well captured.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a virus collecting apparatus and a virus collecting apparatus according to the present invention, and the collected viruses are measured with a measurement kit.

The process of collecting viruses and measuring the collected viruses consists of collecting viruses in the air, dissolving viruses and detecting viruses.

In the course of collecting the virus in air, the collection section is inserted into the collection device 10 to collect the virus in air.

The collecting part may use a separate collecting part included in the conventional ATP kit, but it may be used as a swab 20 sold on the market. The use of the swab 20 will allow the virus to be captured at a lower cost than when using a conventional kit.

The swab 20 of the swab 20 is inserted into the inlet port 16 so as to face the air flow path 13 and then the pump 18 is operated so that the virus in the air can be collected by the swab 20 .

The pump 18 sucks air at a level of approximately 8 to 10 lpm (liter per minute), and even if the air is sucked at the lowest air flow rate of 8 lpm, the virus can be sufficiently collected. When the flow rate for sucking in air is reduced, the differential pressure of the air flow path 13 is reduced, which has the effect of reducing the energy consumed by the pump 18 in operation of the collecting device 10.

The pump 18 is operated for a few minutes so that a sufficient amount of virus can be collected in the cotton balls 22 of the swab 20 and then the operation of the pump 18 is stopped. The operation of the pump 18 does not necessarily have to be performed for a predetermined time and it may be operated for a proper time to collect an amount of the detection kit 40 or the agar plate 50 enough to be detected.

Then, the swab 20 removed from the inlet 16 is dissolved in the container 30 by reacting with the reagent 32 previously prepared in order to dissolve the virus. That is, the swab 20, in which the virus is captured, is placed in the container 30 containing 0.5 ml of the reagent 32, and the reagent 32 is rotated about 10 times to sufficiently react with the reagent 32.

The 0.5 ml reagent is a capacity to make the virus's body composed of protein attached to the swab small enough to bind to the antibody attached to the detection kit by making it in the form of many small proteins. Then, the reagent is sufficiently rotated by rotating the swab so that the antigens of the virus and the antibody are sufficiently combined so that the detection can be performed well.

Finally, about 100 μL of the virus-dissolved reagent 32 is dropped to the reagent inlet 42 of the detection kit 40 with about five drops to detect the virus. After dropping the reagent 32, wait for about 5 minutes until the detection kit 40 responds. Generally, it is necessary to wait for about 8 minutes so that the reagent 32 and the detection kit 40 can react sufficiently, but it is sufficient to react for 5 minutes for quick measurement. Next, the display window 44 is checked to determine whether or not the virus is present.

It takes about 10 minutes to collect the air and judge whether the virus is virus or not through the reagent (32). Therefore, it is necessary to quickly measure the virus contamination in the area where the virus contamination is suspected, Can be minimized. Also, the collecting device 10 and the small amount of reagent 32 can be easily carried, and the presence of virus in the air can be confirmed with a minimum number of personnel. In addition, the use of a generally used swab 20 Therefore, viruses can be detected at low cost.

FIG. 5 is a view for measuring mold collected by the virus and mold trapping apparatus according to the present invention.

The very small size of the mold spores floats in the air so that not only the virus but also the mold contained in the air can be measured through the collecting device 10.

The collecting unit such as the swab 20 is connected to the collecting device 10 to collect the surrounding air to be measured so that dusts, germs, viruses, molds, etc. contained in the air are adhered to the surface of the swab 20 do. Then, the collecting device 10 and the swab 20 are separated. Up to this point, the procedure for measuring viruses described above is performed in the same manner.

To quantify the mold, rub the swab 20 on the agar plate 50, which is a solid medium in which the mold can grow, so that various substances such as fungi can adhere to the solid medium. If you rub the swab on the bacteria-specific badge, only the bacteria will grow, and if you rub the swab on the mold badge, only the mold will grow.

The swab 20 is sufficiently rubbed on the medium, and then the agar plate 50 is kept in an incubator (not shown) for 24 hours. The number of fungi grown in the agar plate (50) can be checked to determine how much fungi are contained in the air.

The agar plate 50 used for mold measurement may be made by the user himself or it may be sold on the market.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

10: collecting device 11:
12: air inlet port 13: air port
14: air outlet 16: inlet
18: pump 20: cotton swab
22: Sommoongchi 30: Container
32: Reagent 40: Detection kit
42: reagent inlet 44: display window
50: agar plate

Claims (9)

Coupling a capture part that can be gripped by a user through an inlet of the collection device;
Collecting at least one of viruses and fungi in the air in the collection unit by operating the collection device for a predetermined time;
Separating the collecting device and the collecting part; And
Selecting whether to detect virus or mold;
Lt; / RTI >
The inlet port guides the collecting section to be positioned so as to be perpendicular to an air flow path provided in the collecting apparatus,
In the case of selecting virus detection in the step of selecting whether to detect the virus or mold,
Introducing the trapping part into a container provided with a reagent to dissolve the virus trapped in the trapping part with the reagent;
Reacting the reagent with the virus dissolved in the kit for a predetermined time;
Determining whether the virus is present or absent through the change of the kit;
Viruses,
In the case of selecting mold detection in the step of selecting whether to detect the virus or mold,
Rubbing the collecting part on an agar plate capable of growing mold;
Storing the agar plate in an incubator for a predetermined time; And
Removing the agar plate from the incubator and measuring mold;
A method for measuring viruses or fungi in the air that measures mold. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the collecting part is a swab and the swab part of the swab is located in the air flow path of the collecting device in the step of combining the collecting device and the collecting part. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the collecting device collects the air at a flow rate of 8-10 lpm (liter per minute) in the step of collecting the air by the collecting device. The method according to claim 1,
A method for measuring viruses or fungi in the air which dissolves a virus by adding 10 ml of the above reagent to the reagent in the step of dissolving the virus trapped in the trapping part with the reagent. The method according to claim 1,
A method for measuring viruses or fungi in the air in which the reagent in which the virus is dissolved is reacted for a fixed period of time in the kit, wherein the reagent drops 5 drops of the reagent in which the virus is dissolved in the kit. The method according to claim 1,
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reagent in which the virus is dissolved is reacted in the kit for a predetermined time, and the kit and the reagent in which the virus is dissolved are reacted for 5 to 8 minutes. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the agar plate is stored in the incubator for 24 hours in the step of storing the agar plate in an incubator for a predetermined period of time.
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