Patent ID: 7563615
Filing Date: 2009-07-21
Classification: C12M,G01N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for the detection of airborne bacterial spores, wherein the apparatus comprises: an air sampler comprising an intake; a surface connectable to the air sampler, the surface suitable for spore adhesion and on-surface spore detection; a thermal lysis unit for lysing the spores on the surface resulting in release of dipicolinic acid (DPA); a source of lanthanide ions for providing lanthanide ions to the released DPA on the surface to form a DPA-lanthanide complex; and a lifetime-gated fluorescence spectrometer having a UV source for on-surface excitation of the DPA-lanthanide complex resulting in fluorescence and subsequent detection of the fluorescence from the surface, wherein the surface is connectable to the air sampler through a relative movement between the surface and the air sampler.