Patent ID: 9128058
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of characterizing and/or identifying a microorganism, comprising: (a) obtaining a test sample known to contain or that may contain microorganisms; (b) selectively lysing non-microorganism cells in said test sample to produce a lysed test sample; (c) layering said lysed test sample over a density cushion in a container; (d) adding an identifier agent to said lysed test sample and/or said density cushion; (e) centrifuging said container to separate microorganisms from other components of said test sample, said microorganisms passing through said density cushion and forming a pellet of microorganisms at the bottom of said container; (f) interrogating said pellet using optical spectroscopy to produce measurements which identify the microorganisms, wherein said optical spectroscopy comprises intrinsic fluorescence; and (g) characterizing and/or identifying the microorganisms in the pellet based on the produced measurements.