Patent ID: 6790366
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: B01L,B03C,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for optically analyzing microbiological specimens suspended in a fluid medium, comprising the steps of:a. magnetically labeling the microbiological specimens; b. containing the fluid medium in a vessel having a chamber therein for receiving the fluid medium, and having a transparent top member; c. positioning the vessel into a magnetic field having a substantially uniform region of vertically-directed magnetic gradient, such that the chamber is located in the uniform region; d. collecting a uniformly-distributed layer of the magnetically labeled microbiological specimens on the interior surface of the chamber bounded by the transparent member; and e. conducting optical analysis of the magnetically-labeled microbiological specimens while maintaining the magnetically-labeled microbiological specimens collected on the interior surface of the chamber bounded by the transparent member.