Patent ID: 6122396
Filing Date: 2000-09-19
Classification: C12M,G01N

Abstract:
An apparatus for detecting and imaging fluorescent substances in a microorganism sample wherein the microorganism sample includes viruses, the apparatus comprising:a. a stage for placing thereon a microorganism sample subjected to fluorescent staining, and for transporting the sample to permit the same to be scanned;b. an illuminator for projecting excitation light of a predetermined wavelength onto the sample to fluoresce the sample so that a fluorescent light is emitted from the sample, wherein a predetermined wavelength is selected to fluoresce truly fluorescing microorganisms to distinguish truly fluorescing microorganisms from autofluorescent foreign matter;c. an emission filter of a predetermined frequency band-width for filtering the fluorescent light from the sample, the frequency bandwidth being selected to include the selected emission frequency of the illuminator;d. an image subsystem including video camera for sensing the filtered fluorescent light conveying the morphology, size and density which has passed through the filter assembly to obtain an actual image of the sample;e. a frame grabber assembly for capturing and processing the actual image of the sample to produce a band-limited digitized image signal;f. a parallel image processor assembly for comparing the band-limited digitized image signal to digitize image signals stored in trained knowledge-based software having an image database of selected images of organisms and artifacts in order to determine if the fluorescing image is that of a selected organism or an artifact; andg. data storage for maintaining archives of the images and locations of fluorescing microbes in processed samples.