WO2023136790A1

WO2023136790A1 - A digital medium

Info

Publication number: WO2023136790A1
Application number: PCT/TR2022/050231
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fatih TAS
Original assignee: Tas Fatih
Priority date: 2022-01-14
Filing date: 2022-03-14
Publication date: 2023-07-20
Also published as: TR2022000480A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a digital medium designed to be used for educational purposes, in the form of a petri dish used in the culture of microorganisms, which can be opened and closed, has a touch screen on both sides, has smart and digital features.

Description

A DIGITAL MEDIUM

TECHNICAL FIELD

BACKGROUND

A medium is used for the identification, isolation and production of microorganisms. Microorganisms that cause disease in humans and animals (eg bacteria, fungi) are detected using a media. The media can be live or non-living according to their environment. While living media can be in the form of cell cultures and embryonated eggs; non-living media are solid or liquid media that are mostly used for isolating, multiplying and differential diagnosis of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. For the samples taken for cultivation in the medium, the properties of the mediums also vary according to the structure of the microorganism. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a large number of medium for many types of microorganisms. Water, agar, peptone, meat extract, blood, serum, blood agar and chocolate agar can be given as examples for the substances used for the preparation of the medium.

The usage areas of the medium are mainly diagnosis, treatment and research. But medicine and health education are also a part of this work. Therefore, learning microorganisms and various cells with different medium and preparations prepared from these mediums has an important place in graduate and postgraduate microbiology and embryology education. Today, a large number of ready mediums, preparation tools, various dyes and microscopes are used for these trainings.

An example of using a medium with traditional methods will be given in this section. A sheep blood agar is used as the medium and a staphylococcus aureus bacterium that can grow in this medium are used. These bacteria are very common in nature. They cause diseases with different clinical findings in humans and animals. The main infections caused by staphylococci in animals are; mastitis, botryomycosis, enzootic pyema, arthritis and food poisoning. The staphylococcus aureus are grampositive, spherical, 0.5-1.5 pm in diameter, non-spore, usually encapsulated, facultative anaerobic bacteria. Their optimal breeding temperature is 30-37°C. They are well stained with aniline dyes. As a characteristic of this genus, these spheres form clusters and appear as bunches of grapes. These appearances of staphylococci are mostly seen in preparations prepared from solid cultures. Staphylococci grow abundantly on sheep blood agar solid media within 24-48 hours and usually form round, convex and shiny colonies in 1-2 mm diameter. Pigment and hemolysis can be seen in the colonies (especially in the pathogenic S. aureus). Colonies' color may vary from white to lemon yellow. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria grown on sheep blood agar are prepared by gram staining method using 'needle' and are seen as grampositive cocci in clusters under the microscope.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Parts of the System Subject to the Invention

1 . Petri dish top cover

2. Petri dish bottom cover

3. Top cover screen

4. Bottom cover screen

5. Apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The medium on which or in which microorganisms have been produced are called cultures. These can be solid, liquid, pure or mixed. The stages of culturing are taking the microorganisms from their environment with certain techniques and transferring them to the appropriate nutrient medium and ensuring their development there. The process of transferring the samples taken from the environment where microorganisms are found by using specific instruments (needle) to the medium is called 'inoculation'. If a sample is to be taken from the liquid medium for inoculation, a loop or pasteur pipette; if a sample is to be taken from a solid medium a needle is used.

Inoculations from liquid or solid cultures to media in the form of liquid plates can take different forms. For example, the purpose of inoculating to drop a single colony is to produce the microorganism colonies to be inoculated on the plate surface separately from other bacterial colonies. The inoculation sample is inoculated on the surface of the plate medium using a single colony cultivation technique with the help of a 'loop'. Bacteria that have fallen into the plate medium separately reproduce independently from other bacteria and form typical colony structures in accordance with their genetic structure and characteristics. The size, shape, structure and color of colonies are important features in distinguishing bacterial species from each other. It is possible to create colony structures from related microorganisms by using different techniques.

Appropriate medium selection is important for the isolation of microorganisms by culture method. Therefore, since every medium is not suitable for every microorganism, there are different mediums and specific microorganisms that can grow in these mediums. For example, blood agar and chocolate agar mediums are used for throat cultures while EMB and SS Agar mediums are used for stool. To give an example on bacteria; Staphylococci grow on medium containing more salt (Chapman), while Vibrio Cholera grows on alkaline medium. Therefore, special mediums are needed for the growth of different microorganisms.

In principle, a certain type of bacteria always forms colonies with the same morphological characteristics in mediums with the same combination and under the same environmental conditions. For example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis colonies form R-shaped colonies, while polysaccharide encapsulated bacteria form M-shaped colonies and Mycoplasma species form L-type colonies. In this way, it is possible to say that microorganisms form different colony types according to the characteristics of their own species.

The process of transferring microorganisms produced (cultured) in a medium by inoculating for various purposes (reproduction, obtaining pure cultures, examining their reproductive and biochemical properties, etc.) from the medium to a new medium by using needles called passage. In addition, the microorganisms to be inoculated are transferred onto the slide using a 'needle' and the prepared preparations (with staining processes) are examined under the microscope. The needle comprises a 0.3-1 mm thick, 5-7 cm long wire and a 15-20 cm long handle holding this wire. With the help of the needle, it is possible to see the microorganism species inoculated in that medium under the microscope after staining on the slide.

Glass containers, which we call 'petri dishes', can be given as examples of tools used as medium. The incubation conditions (temperature and atmospheric conditions) of each microorganism, inoculated in any medium such as Petri dishes, are different. For example, while 28-30°C ambient conditions are ideal for yeast molds, bacteria such as Staphylococcus are incubated at 35-37°C. Here, the incubation period required for the examination of each microorganism, other than temperature and atmospheric conditions, also differs according to the characteristics of the microorganism and the medium which it is in. Theoretically, it is accepted that a colony is formed from each microorganism. Colony characteristics differ according to the type of microorganism. This difference helps in the diagnosis of microorganisms. However, microorganisms can form different colonies on different mediums.

The digital medium, which is the subject of the invention, comprises a petri dish top cover (1 ) and a petri dish bottom cover (2). There is a top cover screen (3) in the petri dish top cover (1 ) and a bottom cover screen (4) inside the petri dish bottom cover (2). Both screens have a touch feature. Both covers have their own processor and memory unit. The invention further comprises a 'pencil-like' apparatus (5), which acts as a kind of 'needle' and provides the integration between the two screens. With this apparatus (5), thanks to a software it comprises, a microorganism sample installed in the bottom cover screen (4) and growing in the medium can be taken and it can be moved to the environment where the 'original microscope images' of the microorganisms in the top cover screen (3) are displayed, and the features of the screens can be activated. Thus, swab samples can be taken digitally from the bottom cover screen (4) showing the medium and the 'original microscopic images' of the microorganism in the swab sample can be examined on the screen via the top cover screen (3) via a software. The experience of taking a swab from a real medium with a 'needle' and then examining its microscopic image can be achieved with the invention. What makes this possible is that the apparatus (5) recognizes the hardware to which it is approached through digital identity and performs its functions accordingly. In addition, microscopic images of all mediums and microorganism species in the database of the device can be monitored instantaneously, hour by hour and day by day, taking into account incubation conditions and times. Or, according to the user's request, the image of the medium and the microorganism in a desired future time period can be accessed. For example, the status of a certain microorganism inoculated to a certain medium can be viewed instantly in five minutes, thirty minutes, one hour, five-hour, twelve-hour time lines. What makes this possible is that the progress of all microorganism species in all mediums has been recorded with all periods in the database in memory units. Basically; the device displays the visual of each advanced time period via screens. Thanks to a remote communication module that enables the device to connect with other smart devices (phone, tablet, watch, etc.), the inoculation and imaging processes of the medium can be monitored remotely, even when the user is away from the device. The remote communication module includes at least one of wifi, bluetooth and wired communication methods.

The petri dish top cover (1 ) comprises a remote communication module. Through this module, the petri dish can connect with the petri dish bottom cover (2) and the apparatus (5). This is because the petri dish bottom cover (2) and the apparatus (5) also comprise a remote communication module. The remote communication module is at least one of the bluetooth, RFID or NFC communication methods. Due to having at least one of these communication types; each of the petri dish top cover (1 ), petri dish bottom cover (2) and apparatus (5) comprises a digital ID that identifies these parts. This digital ID is at least one of the types of bluetooth module, RFID tag or NFC tag. Thus, the apparatus (5) is able to identify which of the petri dish top cover (1 ) or petri dish bottom cover (2) parts are approached with this digital ID through the software it comprises. What makes this possible is that the digital ID comprised in each unit has already been paired to other units. Thus, the apparatus (5) adapts according to the interface and functions of the unit it approaches. For example, when the apparatus (5) approaches the petri dish bottom cover (2), it detects the digital identity of the part and activates the serving function as a microorganism collection apparatus from the medium. Thus, the apparatus functions as a needle at every touched point. The petri dish bottom cover (2) perceives the part as the apparatus (5) approaches and thus removes the microorganisms in the relevant region from the view in order to create the impression that the microorganism is collected from the medium, every time it touches its surface. Similarly, when the same apparatus (5) approaches the petri dish top cover (1 ) piece, it detects the digital identity of the part and activates the task of projecting the 'original microscopic images' of the microorganisms in the medium swab taken from the petri dish bottom cover (2) to the top cover screen (3).

The petri dish top cover (1 ) comprises a software and in this software, there is an option to create the 'original microscopic image' of the instant state of the microorganism taken from the medium. As a result, the 'original microscopic image' of the microorganism swab taken from the medium can be seen on the petri dish top cover screen (3), as the apparatus (5) which takes the swab from the petri dish bottom cover (2) approaches the petri dish top cover (1 ). The apparatus (5) activates the menu function of the relevant part when the touch surfaces of the petri dish top cover (1 ) or petri dish bottom cover (2) are pressed for more than three seconds. This activation is provided by the software included in the petri dish top cover (1 ) or the petri dish bottom cover (2). Thus, by exiting the medical education mode, navigation can be made through the apparatus (5) in the menus of the relevant part.

As mentioned above, by activating the "microscope" option from the menu function, the user has the opportunity to observe the moment of the microorganism growing in the medium in any time period, by selecting the desired staining type, as if it were viewed under a microscope. This viewing is done by the fact that all images of the relevant options have been previously saved in the database. Means, the previously created and saved image under the relevant conditions in the database is shown to the user via the petri dish top cover screen (3) according to the user's preference.

The petri dish top cover screen (3) comprises information about microorganisms in its database. All kinds of microorganisms that can be used are saved in the database. Each database comprises the visuals of each microorganism content information, how each microorganism will produce a result with each medium, how each microorganism will react in each temperature range, how long each microorganism will grow in each medium, what stage it will grow, the characteristics of each microorganism, colonization structures, information on how long each microorganism will grow at each temperature in each medium.

The inner part of the petri dish top cover (1 ) comprises the touch screen (3) that completely covers it. This petri dish top cover screen (3) not only serves to display the information and images in the database, but also allows the user to make choices with the interface. The interface comprises options and settings where the microorganism type and the amount of microorganism can be selected. The user can make selections by using the apparatus (5) as a touch object.

The bottom cover screen (4) database comprises information about medium. Any medium that can be used has been saved into the database. The database comprises visually the content information of each medium, how each medium will create a result with each microorganism, how each medium will react at what temperature range, how long each microorganism will grow in each medium and what stage each microorganism will grow in each medium and how long they will grow and what stage they will reach at each temperature in each medium.

The inner part of the petri dish bottom cover (2) comprises the touch screen (4) that completely covers it. This petri dish top bottom screen (4) not only serves to display the information and images in the database, but also allows the user to make choices with the interface. The interface comprises options and settings to select which medium to choose, which temperature to apply, how long the interaction will continue and the time period selection. The user can make selections by using the apparatus (5) as a touch object.

In summary, this invention eliminates the need for a large number of mediums as in the conventional methods and the need to prepare slides from microorganisms swabbed from the medium. It even eliminates the need for a microscope to examine the prepared preparations, thanks to the petri dish top cover (1 ). This means more functionality with the least amount of material. Therefore, when the user picks up this dual-screen device, he/she will not need to prepare hundreds of medium (because one of the screens' database comprises them all), take hundreds of swabs from these mediums and stain microorganisms and microscopic imaging (because the other screen's database comprises them all). The user will be able to follow the morphological development steps of the medium on one screen, and the original microscopic imaging processes of the microorganisms on the other screen simultaneously. Once this device is purchased, it enables the technical possibilities of educational institutions with more limited laboratory equipment to approach the technical possibilities of educational institutions with more advanced laboratory equipment.

Claims

1. A digital medium characterized by comprising an openable and closable petri dish top cover (1 ) further comprising a top cover screen (3) and a petri dish bottom cover (2) further comprising a bottom cover screen (4), an apparatus (5) which acts as a kind of 'needle' and provides the integration between the two screens and a remote communication module.

2. The apparatus (5) of Claim 1 characterized by being in a pencil-like form.

3. The apparatus (5) of Claim 2 characterized by comprising a remote communication module and a digital ID.

4. The remote communication module of Claim 3 characterized by being at least one of the bluetooth, RFID or NFC communication methods.

5. The top cover screen (3) of Claim 1 characterized by being a touch screen and comprising a processor and a memory unit.

6. The memory unit of Claim 5 characterized by comprising a database further comprising a content information of each microorganism, how each microorganism will produce a result with each medium, how each microorganism will react in each temperature range, how long each microorganism will grow in each medium, what stage it will grow, the characteristics of each microorganism, colonization structures, visual information on how long each microorganism will grow at each temperature in each medium and all progressions of all microorganism types in all type of mediums in all time periods.

7. The bottom cover screen (4) of Claim 1 characterized by being a touch screen and comprising a processor and a memory unit.

8. The memory unit of Claim 7 characterized by comprising a database further comprising a content information of each medium, how each medium will create a result with each microorganism, how each medium will react at what temperature range, visual information how long each microorganism will grow in each medium and what stage each microorganism will grow in each medium and all progressions of all microorganism types in all type of mediums in all time periods.

9. The petri dish top cover (1 ) of Claim 1 characterized by comprising a remote communication module and a digital ID.

10. The remote communication module of Claim 9 characterized by being at least one of the RFID or NFC communication methods.

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11. The petri dish bottom cover (2) of Claim 1 characterized by comprising a remote communication module and a digital ID.

12. The remote communication module of Claim 11 characterized by being at least one of the RFID or NFC communication methods.

13. The digital ID of Claim 3, 9 and 11 characterized by being at least one of the bluetooth module, RFID tag or NFC tag.

14. The apparatus (5) of Claim 3 characterized by comprising a software which provides identifying which of the petri dish top cover (1 ) or petri dish bottom cover (2) parts are approached with its digital ID and adapting according to the functions of the unit it approaches.

15. The petri dish top cover (1 ) of Claim 9 characterized by comprising a software further comprising an option to create the 'original microscopic image' of the instant state of the microorganism taken from the medium.

16. The petri dish top cover (1 ) of Claim 9 characterized by comprising a software activating the menu function of the petri dish top cover (1 ) when the apparatus (5) is pressed to the touch surface more than three seconds.

17. The petri dish bottom cover (2) of Claim 11 characterized by comprising a software activating the menu function of the petri dish bottom cover (2) when the apparatus (5) is pressed to the touch surface more than three seconds.

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