JP2007053917A - Tool for collecting microorganism and method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool and method for collecting microorganisms, capable of collecting the microorganisms on the surface of a subject for collecting the microorganisms quickly and easily. <P>SOLUTION: This tool 1 for collecting the microorganism is equipped with a form like a so-called tooth brush and is constituted by a main body consisting of an arm part 12 and a handle part 13 formed by an optional material used for a conventional tooth brush such as a plastic, etc., a microorganisms-collecting surface 3 for making a contact with a surface (a surface to be collected) of the subject for collecting the microorganisms and attaching the microorganisms, and a head part 2 consisting of an outside electrode 5, an inside electrode 4, etc., capable of making an electrical contact with each of the surface to be collected and the microorganisms-collecting surface 3. The outside electrode 5 is formed as electrically insulated from the inside electrode 4 and so as to make a contact with the surface to be collected on pushing the microorganisms-collecting surface 3 to the surface to be collected. The inside electrode 4 and outside electrode 5 are each connected to a polarity-reversing means by a wiring such as a lead wire, etc., for performing electric connection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a microorganism collection tool and a microorganism collection method for collecting microorganisms attached to various surfaces.

Conventionally, as a technique for collecting microorganisms that live on the surface of living tissues such as skin and mucous membranes, and surfaces such as kitchens, baths, floors, walls, etc., there is a technique that collects them by generating a quantitative movement on the surface of collecting microorganisms. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-334059 A

  However, in the above-described conventional method, when the movement of the microorganism (the collection surface) is caused to move quantitatively, the apparent contact surface area increases, and mechanical force is applied to the surface of the microorganism collection target. Although the adhered microorganisms can be peeled off, the vibrations scatter the separated microorganisms and prevent them from being held on the collection surface, making reliable collection difficult.

  In addition, when inspecting collected microorganisms, it is necessary to suspend them in a liquid to make a test sample. However, a technique for suspending microorganisms adhering to the collection surface in a liquid reliably and quickly is described. It has not been.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a microorganism collection tool and a microorganism collection method capable of reliably, quickly and easily collecting microorganisms on the surface of a microorganism collection target. And In addition, the present invention reliably, quickly, easily, and quantitatively performs a procedure from collecting microorganisms on the surface of a microorganism collection target and preparing a microorganism suspension for use in a test sample with a single tool. It is an object of the present invention to provide a microorganism collection tool and a microorganism collection method capable of collecting the microorganism.

  The microorganism collection tool of the present invention is a microorganism collection tool for collecting microorganisms, a microorganism collection surface for contacting the surface of a microorganism collection target, and a first electrode electrically connected to the microorganism collection surface And a second electrode that is electrically connected to the surface of the microorganism collection target, and a DC power source that applies a voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode.

  According to the above configuration, by generating a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, for example, the microorganism collection surface electrically connected to the first electrode is positively charged, and the second electrode If the surface of the microorganism collection target that is electrically connected to the negative charge is negatively charged, the negatively charged microorganism can be detached from the surface of the microorganism collection target by the Coulomb force and held on the microorganism collection surface. Microorganisms adhering to the surface of the microorganism collection target can be collected reliably, quickly and easily. In addition, microorganisms can be collected quantitatively by uniquely determining the order and time of operation.

  In addition, the microorganism collection tool of the present invention includes polarity inversion means for inverting the polarity of the voltage applied to the first electrode and the second electrode.

  According to the above configuration, the direction of the Coulomb force acting between the microorganism collection surface and the surface of the microorganism collection target can be switched, so that the microorganisms retained on the microorganism collection surface can be quickly and reliably separated from the microorganism collection surface. The suspension of collected microorganisms can be prepared. Therefore, the procedure from collecting microorganisms from the surface of the microorganism collection target to creating a microorganism suspension for use in the test sample can be reliably, quickly and easily performed with a single tool. In addition, microorganisms can be collected and suspensions can be quantitatively determined by uniquely determining the order and time of operation.

  In addition, the microorganism collection tool of the present invention includes vibration means for applying vibration to the microorganism collection surface.

  According to the above configuration, even a microorganism that adheres firmly to the surface of a microorganism collection target can be quickly and easily peeled off from the surface to be collected, and the peeled microorganism is attracted to the microorganism collection surface by Coulomb force. Microorganisms detached by vibration can be reliably collected on the microorganism collection surface without being dispersed. Moreover, according to the said structure, when suspending the microorganisms adhering to the microorganism collection surface in a liquid, a microorganism suspension can be created more rapidly by applying vibration.

  The microorganism collection apparatus of the present invention is a filter material having a surface of the microorganism collection surface having a pore diameter of 0.05 to 1 μm.

  According to the said structure, a microorganism can be reliably hold | maintained by using the filter of the hole diameter comparable as the dimension of the microorganisms of collection | acquisition object on the surface of a microorganisms collection surface.

  The microorganism collection method of the present invention is a microorganism collection method for collecting microorganisms from the surface of a microorganism collection target using a microorganism collection tool having a microorganism collection surface, wherein the surface of the microorganism collection target is negatively charged. And contacting the positively charged microorganism collection surface.

  The microorganism collection method of the present invention includes a step of applying vibration to the microorganism collection surface.

  The microorganism collection method of the present invention includes a step of immersing the microorganism collection surface brought into contact with the surface of the microorganism collection target in a liquid, and a step of negatively charging the immersed microorganism collection surface.

  Furthermore, the microorganism collection method of the present invention includes a step of applying vibration to the immersed microorganism collection surface.

  According to the present invention, by generating a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, for example, the microorganism collection surface electrically connected to the first electrode is positively charged, and the second electrode If the surface of the microorganism collection target that is electrically connected to the negative charge is negatively charged, the negatively charged microorganism can be detached from the surface of the microorganism collection target by the Coulomb force and held on the microorganism collection surface. Microorganisms adhering to the surface of the microorganism collection target can be collected reliably, quickly and easily.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of a microorganism collection tool of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a microorganism collection tool, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the microorganism collection tool.

  1 and 2, the microorganism collection tool 1 of the first embodiment has a so-called toothbrush-like form, and includes a main body including an arm portion 12 and a handle portion 13 formed of an arbitrary material such as plastic, and a microorganism collection target. A microbe-collecting surface 3 for contacting a surface (hereinafter referred to as a surface to be collected) and attaching microorganisms, an outer electrode (second electrode) 5 electrically connected to the surface to be sampled and the surface to be collected 3 and The head portion 2 is composed of an inner electrode (first electrode) 4 and the like.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross section of the head portion 2 and the electrical connection relationship of the electrodes. The head portion 2 is formed by attaching an inner electrode 4 made of a conductive material such as copper or aluminum on the surface of an insulator 6 made of an insulating material such as plastic, and further covering the entire surface of the inner electrode 4 with PET. (Microethylene terephthalate) The microorganism collecting surface 3 formed by pasting a material that is insulative and has no moisture permeability, such as a film, is pasted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the microorganism collecting surface 3 can be formed as a composite in which a filter 14 made of a material such as fluororesin or pulp is attached to the surface of an insulating film such as the PET film. At this time, it is desirable that the filter pore diameter is approximately the same as the representative dimension of the microorganism to be collected, and thus the microorganism on the surface to be collected can be reliably held in the filter. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the filter hole diameter is set to 0.05 to 1 μm.

  The outer electrode 5 is electrically insulated from the inner electrode 4 and is formed so as to come into contact with the collection surface when the microorganism collection surface 3 is pressed against the collection surface. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the microorganism collection surface 3 is circular, and has a ring shape surrounding the outside thereof, and is configured to be flush with the collection surface side of the microorganism collection surface 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this shape, and the outer electrode 5 can be brought into contact with the sampled surface when the microorganism sampled surface 3 is pressed against the sampled surface. Any convenient shape or size may be used according to the shape. The external electrode 5 may be formed of the same material as that of the inner electrode 4, but stainless steel having high corrosion resistance can be used in consideration of direct contact with the surface to be collected.

  The inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5 are respectively connected to the polarity inversion means 7 by wiring 9a and wiring 9b for electrical connection such as lead wires. The polarity inversion means 7 is connected to a DC power source 8 and can apply a DC voltage of any polarity between the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5. The DC power supply 8 is desirably a high-voltage DC power supply in order to increase the Coulomb force for holding or peeling microorganisms on the microorganism collection surface 3. In the first embodiment, a high voltage generating circuit using a nickel hydride battery or an alkaline dry battery and a known cockcroft circuit is adopted, and a DC voltage of about 1 KV to 6 KV can be applied between both electrodes. Although not shown, when the surface to be collected is a living body surface such as a human mucosa, in order to prevent an electric shock due to the application of a high voltage, current is limited between the inner electrode 4 and the polarity reversing means 7 in the middle of the wiring 9a. It is desirable to insert a metal film resistor having a high withstand voltage. In this case, it is preferable to select a resistance value of a metal film resistor or the like such that a current of 0.5 μA or more which is the minimum sensed current value of the human body does not flow when a DC voltage is applied.

  The polarity reversing means 7 is provided with a polarity reversing switch 10 on the surface of the handle portion 13 so that the polarity of the voltage applied to the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5 can be changed by an external operation. The polarity reversing means 7 can be realized by, for example, a circuit configuration that switches the contact point connected by the polarity reversing switch 10 as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. When the polarity reversing switch 10 is in the position of FIG. 5a, the internal electrode 4 is the positive electrode and the external electrode 5 is the negative electrode, and the microorganism collection surface 3 is positively charged. When the polarity reversing switch 10 is in the position of FIG. Is opposite in polarity, and the microorganism collecting surface 3 is negatively charged. In addition, although not shown, it goes without saying that by setting the polarity reversing switch 10 to a neutral state, no voltage can be applied to the electrodes. In this embodiment, the polarity reversing switch 10 employs a mechanical slide switch, but the polarity of the DC voltage applied to the electrodes can be reversed and controlled by using a control circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a relay. Any material can be used. The series of polarity inverting means 7, DC power supply 8, and wiring 9 are stored by forming a circuit in the main body and the head unit 2 using a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) substrate, a lead wire, or the like.

  Hereinafter, a series of flow from collecting a microorganism from the surface to be collected in Embodiment 1 to creating a suspension for microbe inspection will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, a step of collecting microorganisms on the surface to be collected (hereinafter referred to as a collection step (FIG. 6a)) will be described. The inspector holds the handle portion 13 in his / her hand, slides the polarity reversing switch 10 in the direction of FIG. 5 a, and energizes the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5 through the wiring 9. At this time, the inner electrode 4 becomes a positive electrode and the outer electrode 5 becomes a negative electrode (step S11). Thereafter, the tester presses the microorganism collection surface 3 against the surface to be collected (step S12). At this time, the microorganisms that adhere to / inhabit the surface to be collected are in contact with the surface 3 for collecting the microorganisms, but the microorganisms are adhesive polysaccharides such as glucan produced by themselves, the ciliary structure of the surface of the microorganism, and other physical properties. Many of them are fixed to the surface to be collected by chemical adsorption, and the number of microorganisms that can be held on the microorganism collecting surface 3 is limited simply by pressing the microorganism collecting surface 3 against the surface to be collected.

  In the first embodiment, the inner electrode 4 serves as a positive electrode, and the outer electrode 5 serving as a negative electrode contacts the surface to be collected, so that the surface to be collected serves as a negative electrode, and the surface to be collected of the microorganism collecting surface 3 is positive. Charged. In general, since the surface of the microorganism is negatively charged, the microorganism on the surface to be collected is attracted to and retained on the microorganism collection surface 3 by the action of Coulomb force (step S13).

  After a predetermined time elapses, the tester moves the microorganism collection surface 3 away from the surface to be collected (step S14), and ends the collection step. In the first embodiment, the microorganism collection surface 3 is pressed against the surface to be collected after energization so that the inner electrode 4 becomes a positive electrode, but the order may be reversed or may be performed simultaneously. Quantitative microorganism collection is possible by uniquely determining the order of operations and the time required for each operation.

  Next, a step of creating a suspension of collected microorganisms (hereinafter referred to as a suspension creation step (FIG. 6b)) will be described. The inspector completes the collection step and immerses the head unit 2 in a state where the microorganisms are held on the microorganism collection surface 3 in an arbitrary volume of liquid (step S21). The type and volume of the liquid may be selected as appropriate for various types of microbiological tests. In the first embodiment, 5 ml of physiological saline is used. After immersion, the tester slides the polarity reversing switch 10 in the direction of FIG. 5 b and energizes between the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5 through the wiring 9. At this time, the inner electrode 4 becomes the negative electrode and the outer electrode 5 becomes the positive electrode (step S22), and the microorganism collecting surface 3 is negatively charged as opposed to the collecting step. It peels from the microorganism collection surface 3 by the repulsive action and is suspended in the liquid (step S23). Thus, by applying an external force to the microorganisms held on the microorganism collection surface 3, a suspension of the collected microorganisms can be created quickly and reliably. The examiner takes out the head unit 2 from the liquid after a predetermined time (step S24), and completes the suspension creation step.

  At this time, the order of the immersion and energization operations may be reversed or simultaneous. Quantitative microorganism collection is possible by uniquely determining the order of operations and the time required for each operation.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, by providing the inner electrode 4, the outer electrode 5, and the DC power supply 8 for positively charging the microorganism collection surface 3, the surface adheres to the surface to be negatively charged. Microorganisms can be collected on the microorganism collection surface 3 reliably and quantitatively.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by providing the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5, the DC power source 8, and the polarity reversing means 7 for negatively charging the microorganism collection surface 3, microorganisms whose surface is negatively charged can be obtained. It can be quickly and reliably peeled off from the microorganism collection surface 3, and the collection of microorganisms to the preparation of the microorganism suspension can be easily performed with a single tool.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the microorganism collection tool of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, description overlapping with that of the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross section of the head unit 2 and the electrical connection relationship between the electrode and the control circuit in the second embodiment of the present invention. Vibrating means 15 for applying vibration in the rotational direction, vertical vibration, vertical / horizontal vibration, or a combination of one or more thereof to the head portion 2 including the microorganism collection surface 3 is electrically connected to the DC power supply 8. . The mechanism used as the vibration means 15 can be applied as long as it can give the above-mentioned vibration motion to the head unit 2, but in the second embodiment, a DC motor having an eccentric weight attached to the rotating shaft is used. ing. Further, since the output stage of the DC power supply 8 is at a high voltage, it is desirable to connect the DC motor directly to a battery built in the cockcroft circuit, but a battery dedicated to the DC motor may be provided separately. The vibration means 15 is preferably installed at a portion closest to the arm portion 12 inside the handle portion 13 in order to efficiently transmit vibration to the head portion 2.

  The vibration means 14 is provided with a vibration control switch 11 on the surface of the handle portion 13 for externally controlling the start / stop of the vibration. The vibration control switch 11 may be configured such that vibration is generated by operating the DC motor only while being pressed, or a vibration state can be maintained using a push-push switch. Further, the polarity reversing switch 10 may also serve as the vibration control switch 11. In this case, when the polarity reversing switch 10 is in a neutral state, the DC motor is stopped, and the states shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, that is, the internal electrode 4 and the external The DC motor may be operated in a state in which a voltage is applied between the electrodes 5 so that the head unit 2 vibrates.

  In the following, a series of flow from collecting the microorganisms from the surface to be collected to creating a suspension for microbe inspection in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the part which already demonstrated in Embodiment 1 and overlaps.

  First, the collection step (FIG. 8a) will be described. The inspector holds the handle 13 and slides the polarity reversing switch 10 in the direction of FIG. 5a, and energizes the inner electrode 4 to the positive electrode and the outer electrode 5 to the negative electrode through the wiring 9 (step S31). Next, vibration is applied to the head unit 2 by operating the vibration control switch 11 (step S32). Thereafter, the tester presses the microorganism collection surface 3 against the surface to be collected (step S33).

  At this time, in addition to the adsorption force of the Coulomb force of the positively-charged microorganism collection surface 3, the microorganisms adhere firmly to the surface to be collected due to the vibration of the microorganism collection surface 3 generated along with the vibration of the head portion 2. Can be quickly and easily peeled off from the surface to be collected, and further, the peeled microorganisms are attracted to the microorganism collecting surface 3 by Coulomb force, so that the microorganisms separated by vibration are securely held on the microorganism collecting surface 3 without being dispersed. (Step S34).

  After a predetermined time has passed, the tester moves the microorganism collection surface 3 away from the surface to be collected (step S35), and ends the collection step. In the second embodiment, after energizing the inner electrode 4 to be a positive electrode, the vibration is applied to the head unit 2 by operating the vibration control switch 11 and the microorganism collection surface 3 is pressed against the surface to be collected. May not be as described above, and may be performed simultaneously. Quantitative microorganism collection is possible by uniquely determining the order of operations and the time required for each operation.

  Next, the suspension creation step (FIG. 8b) will be described. The examiner immerses the head part 2 in a state in which the collection step is completed and the microorganisms are held on the microorganism collection surface 3 in 5 ml of physiological saline (step S41). After immersion, the inspector slides the polarity reversing switch 10 in the direction of FIG. 5B, energizes the inner electrode 4 and the outer electrode 5 through the wiring 9 (step S42), and then operates the vibration control switch 11 to operate the head unit. 2 is vibrated (step S43).

  At this time, in addition to the repulsive force of the Coulomb force of the negatively-charged microorganism collection surface 3, the microorganisms attached to the microorganism collection surface 3 are surely and quickly owing to the vibration of the microorganism collection surface 3 generated along with the vibration of the head portion 2. And is suspended in physiological saline (step S44). The examiner takes out the head unit 2 from the liquid after a predetermined time (step S45), and completes the suspension creation step. In the second embodiment, the head unit 2 is energized and vibrated after being immersed, but this order may not be as described or may be performed simultaneously. Quantitative microorganism collection is possible by uniquely determining the order of operations and the time required for each operation.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the microorganism collection tool 1 includes the vibration means 15 and the vibration control switch 11 for vibrating the head portion 2, even if the microorganism is firmly attached to the surface to be collected. It can be quickly and easily peeled off from the surface to be collected, and the peeled microorganisms are attracted to the microorganism collecting surface 3 by Coulomb force, so that the microorganisms separated by vibration are securely held on the microorganism collecting surface 3 without being dispersed. Can do.

  Furthermore, since the microorganism collection surface 3 is negatively charged when the microorganisms adhering to the microorganism collection surface 3 are suspended in the liquid, the microorganisms having a negative surface charge are peeled off from the microorganism collection surface 3 by Coulomb force. In addition, since the vibration is applied by the vibration means 15, the microorganism suspension can be created reliably and quickly.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by causing a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, for example, the microorganism collection surface electrically connected to the first electrode is positively charged. If the surface of the microorganism collection target electrically connected to the second electrode is negatively charged, the negatively charged microorganism is peeled off from the surface of the microorganism collection target by Coulomb force and held on the microorganism collection surface. Therefore, it has an effect of reliably collecting microorganisms attached to the surface of the microorganism collection target, and is useful for a microorganism collection tool and a microorganism collection method for collecting microorganisms attached to various surfaces. is there.

1 is a schematic front view of a microorganism collection tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side view of a microorganism collection tool according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a head portion according to a first embodiment of the present invention and the electrical connection relationship of electrodes The microorganism collection surface of the complex according to the first embodiment of the present invention Electrical connection relationship during positive charging of sampling surface according to the first embodiment of the present invention (positively charged) Electrical connection relationship during charging of sampling surface according to the first embodiment of the present invention (negatively charged) Flowchart of the microorganism collection method according to the first embodiment of the present invention Schematic cross section of head portion according to second embodiment of the present invention and electrical connection relationship between electrode and vibration means Flowchart of the microorganism collection method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microorganism collection tool 2 Head part 3 Microorganism collection surface 4 Inner electrode 5 Outer electrode 6 Insulator 7 Polarity inversion means 8 DC power supply 9 Wiring 10 Polarity inversion switch 11 Vibration control switch 12 Arm part 13 Handle part 14 Filter 15 Vibration means

Claims (8)

A microorganism collecting tool for collecting microorganisms,
A microorganism collection surface for contacting the surface of the microorganism collection object;
A first electrode electrically connected to the microorganism collection surface;
A second electrode electrically connected to the surface of the microorganism collection target;
A direct current power source for applying a voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode;
A microorganism collecting tool comprising:   The microorganism collection tool according to claim 1, further comprising polarity reversing means for reversing the polarity of a voltage applied to the first electrode and the second electrode.   The microorganism collection tool according to claim 1, further comprising a vibration unit that applies vibration to the microorganism collection surface.   The microorganism collection tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface of the microorganism collection surface is a filter material having a pore diameter of 0.05 to 1 µm. A microorganism collection method for collecting microorganisms from the surface of a microorganism collection target using a microorganism collection tool having a microorganism collection surface,
A microorganism collection method comprising a step of bringing the positively charged microorganism collection surface into contact with a negatively charged surface of the microorganism collection target.   The microorganism collection method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of applying vibration to the microorganism collection surface. Immersing the microorganism collection surface in contact with the surface of the microorganism collection target in a liquid;
Negatively charging the immersed microorganism collection surface;
The method for collecting microorganisms according to claim 5 or 6.   The microorganism collection method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of applying vibration to the immersed microorganism collection surface.

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