Abstract:
A specimen delivery cartridge is disclosed that includes a first housing portion, a second housing portion, a fluid dispenser, and a plunger. The plunger includes a plunger body having a first side and a second side. The second side faces away from the first side. The plunger further includes at least one post extending from the first side of the plunger body. The second side of the plunger body includes at least one actuator that is sized and configured to apply a compressive force onto the fluid dispenser when the plunger is depressed, and the plunger is thereby operable to actuate the fluid dispenser. When actuated, the fluid dispenser releases a reagent to a test specimen to facilitate testing for a target pathogen.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical diagnostics and more particularly to in vitro medical diagnostic devices including point-of-care in vitro medical diagnostic devices. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There is a recognized and compelling need for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of common infectious diseases in an out-patient setting. This need results from a rapidly emerging trend toward what is sometimes referred to as “patient centric care” in which convenience—along with better health outcomes and low-cost—becomes a key market driver. 
     The field of in vitro diagnostics is well established, with many manufacturers and a wide spectrum of products and technologies. The testing for infectious pathogens in human patient specimens is largely confined to centralized laboratory testing in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) rated medium-complexity or high-complexity facilities. Commonplace techniques used in such laboratories include traditional culturing of specimens, immunological assaying using Enzyme-Linked Immunosuppressant Assay (ELISA), nucleic acid testing (such as polymerase chain reaction, PCR), and other methods. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a specimen delivery cartridge includes a first housing portion, a second housing portion, a fluid dispenser, and a plunger. The plunger includes a plunger body having a first side and a second side. The second side faces away from the first side. The plunger further includes at least one post extending from the first side of the plunger body. The second side of the plunger body includes at least one actuator that is sized and configured to apply a compressive force onto the fluid dispenser when the plunger is depressed, and the plunger is thereby operable to actuate the fluid dispenser. 
     In accordance with another illustrative embodiment, a method of dispersing a reagent to a testing substrate includes closing a first housing portion of a specimen delivery cartridge toward a second housing portion of the specimen delivery cartridge. The specimen delivery cartridge further includes a plunger having a post and an actuator, and a fluid dispenser aligned with and proximate to a fluid conduit of the specimen delivery cartridge. The fluid dispenser includes a fluid. The aforementioned step of closing the first housing portion relative to the second housing portion comprises includes delivering a compressive force to depress the post, urging the actuator of the plunger to compress the fluid dispenser, and collapsing the fluid dispenser to urge fluid from the fluid dispenser to the fluid conduit. 
     In accordance with another illustrative embodiment, a specimen testing system includes a mating adaptor having at least one post actuator extending from a base of a receiving area of the mating adaptor. The system further includes a specimen delivery cartridge having at least one actuation port that is sized and configured to receive the at least one post actuator when the specimen delivery cartridge is inserted into the receiving area. Each actuation port provides access to a fluid dispenser, and the fluid dispenser is operable to release a metered amount of fluid into the specimen delivery cartridge upon being depressed by the post actuator. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a specimen delivery cartridge and computing device coupled to a mating adaptor; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a specimen delivery cartridge in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the specimen delivery cartridge of  FIG. 2  in which the specimen delivery cartridge is in an open configuration to reveal a test substrate; 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are opposing, perspective views of an actuator that may be included in the specimen delivery cartridge of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of the specimen delivery cartridge of  FIG. 2 , showing components of a first housing portion of the specimen delivery device; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of the specimen delivery cartridge of  FIG. 2  in a closed configuration, in which a second housing portion is shown in hidden line to reveal a spring-actuated plunger mechanism; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of an assaying portion of a specimen delivery cartridge; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of an assaying portion of a specimen delivery cartridge in partial cutaway; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a specimen delivery cartridge; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a mating adaptor, analogous to the mating adaptor of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the specimen delivery cartridge of  FIG. 9  being assembled to the mating adaptor of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The conventional model for infectious disease diagnosis relies heavily on centralized laboratory testing (e.g. culture), which can often take two to four days to provide a reliable result. Applicant performed time-and-motion studies of medical practice and patient flow in the current model of infectious disease diagnosis and compared it to the new model relying on the devices described in this disclosure. A consequence of the conventional model is that patients are not necessarily properly diagnosed on their first visit; nor are they given the correct drug prescription. This results in money wasted on either incorrect or unnecessary prescriptions, inconvenience to patients owing to repeat visits, and even the potential for otherwise treatable illnesses to progress to more serious conditions requiring expensive hospital stays. In addition, it is noted that the over-prescription of antibiotics is not only a cost burden to the healthcare system, but perhaps more importantly may contribute to the increasing frequency of antibiotic resistant strains in the community, which is a national health concern. 
     There are some rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) on the market today that are suitable for use in an out-patient setting. These RDTs, however, are simple “rule-in/rule-out” tests which do not necessarily inform clinical decision-making. Furthermore, many of these RDT&#39;s suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity, making the validity and clinical utility of their results dubious at best. 
     In diagnosing a patient, it is common for a physician to ask is whether an illness is the consequence of a bacterial or a viral pathogen. The present disclosure relates to a system that is able to provide that answer during the patient visit and with gold-standard accuracy. In this way, the correct diagnosis is obtained, and the best treatment option prescribed. 
     In point-of-care diagnostics for infectious disease, a premium is placed on the ability to achieve low-complexity and low-cost while substantially improving health outcomes. Further, to leverage the ubiquity of smartphones and other computing devices in common use globally, a mating adaptor may allow for the use of a computing device, such as a smart phone, in connection with a mating adaptor and specimen delivery cartridge, to carry out a test for one or more pathogens. The mating adaptor accommodates the form factor and interfaces of popular computing devices (e.g., smart phones) by providing for a variety of interfaces. Each interface may equate to a customized adaptor that is designed to mate with a particular computing device. However, the adaptor interfaces to the cartridge will generally be identical; meaning that the cartridge will fit to any of a variety of a range of adaptors that accommodate a corresponding range of smart phones or other computing devices. 
     The specimen delivery cartridge may be considered to be similar in some respects to the cartridge or “specimen delivery apparatus” described in earlier-filed patent application Ser. No. 13/918,877 entitled “Specimen Delivery Apparatus” submitted by applicant, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , in an illustrative embodiment, a mating adaptor  102  is sized and configured to receive and pair a computing device  106  and a specimen delivery cartridge  110 . The mating adaptor  102  has a first receiving area that is sized and configured to receive the computing device  106 , which may be, for example, a popular smart phone. The mating adaptor  102  also has a second receiving area that is sized and configured to receive the specimen delivery cartridge  110 . The aforementioned pairing results in one or more of a physical coupling, optical coupling, thermal coupling, communicative coupling, or electrical coupling between the computing device  106  and the specimen delivery cartridge  110 . 
     A representative specimen delivery cartridge  200  is described in more detail below with regard to  FIGS. 2-8 . Owing to the enormous amount of research and development funds invested in the development of computing devices, certain capabilities exist with such devices that are relevant to biological detection and clinical diagnostics. However, one capability that an off-the-shelf smartphone lacks is the ability to directly manipulate fluids within its existing form factor, or to accept bodily fluid specimens directly for analysis. The specimen delivery cartridge  200  may be regarded as a consumable cartridge which resolves the problems associated with acquiring a wide variety of human, animal, agricultural, or environmental specimens and introducing those safely into a point-of-care diagnostic system for further assaying. This assaying may involve some or all of the following steps: the introduction of additional biochemical reagents; the mixing and agitation of said fluids; the heating of various but specific fluids for distinct periods of time (known commonly as incubation); the use of filters; and the use of various types of particles, some of which might be magnetic in nature. 
     In an embodiment, the specimen delivery cartridge  200  is a sealed device that may receive and process a fluid specimen without exposing the computing device  106  or mating adaptor  102  (described with regard to  FIG. 1 ) to the fluid specimen. In such an embodiment, all fluids, reagents, specimens and any other liquid materials are safely contained internal to the specimen delivery cartridge  200 , and there is no fluid flow between any of the three foregoing components. 
     The mating adaptor  102  shown is illustrative only and it is noted that different versions of mating adapter may be fabricated to accommodate different types of computing devices on the market. In an embodiment, the computing device  106  is a smart phone, and it is noted that the computing device  106  may be made in any number of dimensional configurations, each corresponding to a separately fabricated smart phone. Similarly, the mating adaptor  102  accommodates any specimen delivery cartridge  110 , regardless of the type of specimen used or assay format. In this sense, the mating adapter serves as a universal link for coupling a specimen delivery cartridge to a computing device. 
     To link the computing device  106  to a specimen delivery cartridge, a user or operator first slides the mating adaptor  102  over the computing device  106 . This is a simple action that requires no special training and is intuitively obvious from the shape of the adapter. To prompt the user to take the correct action in forming the link, a visual indicator, such as an arrow pointing in the direction the computing device  106  should be slid to engage the mating adaptor  102 , is included on the surface of the mating adapter. A written instruction may also be embossed on the mating adaptor  102  to ensure complete clarity. Similar orienting features may be included on the specimen delivery cartridge  200 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2-3 , an illustrative embodiment of a specimen delivery cartridge  200  is shown. The specimen delivery cartridge  200  includes actuation posts  207  that form a portion of a plunger  209  ( FIG. 3 ). The plunger  209  is designed to cause a precise, metered delivery of previously stored reagents on to a surface for subsequent assay processing steps. The plunger  209  is positioned below a lower intermediate member  208 , shown here as a generally planar member. The lower intermediate member  208  may include arcuate or otherwise nonplanar surfaces in other embodiments. In some embodiments, a lower vessel cavity of a specimen collection chamber  236  resides in the lower intermediate member  208 . The posts  207  protrude from a lower housing  202  through the lower intermediate member  208  at actuator ports  211 . In addition to providing access for the posts  207 , actuator ports  211  may also serve to provide mechanical stability and alignment of the plunger to complimentary reagent storage packs or reservoirs below the lower intermediate member  208 . 
     A lower housing body  206  of the specimen delivery cartridge  200  supports and may partially enclose the lower intermediate member  208 . Similarly, an upper intermediate member  201 , shown as a second planar component, is supported and partially enclosed by an upper housing body  213  of the specimen delivery cartridge  200 . A locking mechanism  205  secures the upper housing body  213  to the complimentary lower housing body  206  of the specimen delivery cartridge  200 . A swab holder  264  provides for the easy alignment of a swab that may be used to deliver a specimen into the specimen collection chamber  236  as well as to secure positioning of the swab as a result of the snapping of the swab shaft into holder  264 . A built-in cutter  262  cuts the swab shaft off upon depression of the cutter button  266 . 
     As described in more detail below, the specimen delivery cartridge may include a plunger that is operable to introduce various reagents necessary for the execution of a particular assay protocol once a swab is positioned within the specimen collection chamber  236 . In such an embodiment, certain reagents may be pre-packaged as components contained in the specimen delivery system cartridge  200 . 
     In order to maintain low-complexity operation, a user of the specimen delivery cartridge  200  may not have to be directly involved in measuring, pipetting, introducing, or using reagents separate from the cartridge to perform the assaying steps. To that end, the plunger mechanism may assist in operation of the specimen delivery cartridge  200  by automatically dispensing pre-determined and metered amounts of one or more reagents in to or on to a follow-on device, channel, or substrate. 
     This automatic operation may be accomplished by the closing of the upper housing body  213  toward the lower housing body  206 , which causes the plunger posts  207  to be pushed down a pre-determined distance. With the lower housing body  206  removed (for illustrative purposes), as shown in  FIG. 4 , one can observe that the plunger  209 , in some embodiments, has a one-piece construction that includes the actuation posts  207 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the plunger  209  is configured to perform metered dispensing of reagents from fluid dispensers or reservoirs, shown here as four reagent storage packs  318 ,  320 ,  322 ,  324 . The plunger  209  can be designed and fabricated to dispense from any suitable number of fluid dispensers (1, 2, 3, 4, . . . n) depending on the assay being conducted and certain limiting factors such as the overall size (volume) of the available space within the specimen delivery cartridge  200 . The plunger  209  is operable to depress the reagent packs  318 ,  320 ,  322 ,  324  to cause the fluid dispensers to dispense reagent on to an adjacent substrate surface  326  (plastic, paper, polymer, PCB, glass, sapphire, composite, metal, or other material) or into an adjoining fluid transfer channel  327 . In the illustrated embodiment, upon activation of the plunger  209 , reagents from four fluid dispensers are dispensed on to specific “landing pad”, shown here as metal electrodes  328 ,  330 ,  332 ,  334 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an illustrative embodiment of the plunger  209  is shown as having a plurality of actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 . The plunger  209  is sized and configured to engage a complimentary surface or surfaces of fluid dispensers (e.g., reagent packs  318 ,  320 ,  322 ,  324 ), by virtue of the offset actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 . The plunger  209  has a first side  221 , from which the plurality of actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  extend, and a second side  222  opposite the first side, from which posts  207  extend. In some embodiments, the actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  are planar. In other embodiments, however, the actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  may be slotted, curved, keyed, or of another suitable shape that is selected to complement and engage the shape of the fluid dispensers to be actuated by the actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 . The posts  207  are arranged to be depressed upon the closing of the specimen delivery cartridge  200 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, each of the plurality of actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216  are offset by a predetermined distance to correspond to selected order, volume, or rate of discharge (or a combination thereof) of fluid dispensers to be actuated by the actuation surfaces  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 . Here, the plunger  209  has a first actuation surface  210  of a particular thickness corresponding to the volume of reagent intended to be dispensed from the corresponding fluid dispenser. The plunger  209  may have a second actuation surface  212  of a particular thickness (the same or different thickness than actuation surface  210 ). In like manner, the plunger  209  may have a third actuation surface  214  of another particular thickness, and so on to an nth number of actuator surfaces of particular thicknesses. 
     The plunger  209  may be fabricated from a single piece of material, such as a molded plastic. In other embodiments, however, different surfaces of the plunger  209  may be fabricated from separate materials and later combined into one structure using welds, adhesives, or other joining mechanisms. 
       FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of a specimen delivery cartridge  400  that is analogous to the specimen delivery cartridge  200  described above. The specimen delivery cartridge  400  includes a first housing portion  402  and a second housing portion  404 . The first housing portion  402  includes a first vessel cavity  406  and the second housing portion  404  includes a second vessel cavity  408 . When the first housing portion  402  and second, opposing subassembly are closed together, the first vessel cavity  406  and second vessel cavity  408  close to form opposing halves of a specimen collection chamber  407  that accommodates a swab. The swab can be one of a plurality of sizes, shapes, and material and is used to collect a specimen (e.g., from a patient), for placement in the specimen collection chamber  407 . The specimen collection chamber  407  includes a roiling mechanism  410  that is designed to mix or generate a vortexing flow of fluids (such as an elution reagent, lysis reagent, or other liquid) through the specimen collection chamber  407  to interact with particles on the swab and release such particles into the fluid for subsequent processing. 
     The specimen collection chamber  407  is operable to deliver fluid to a subsequent component of the specimen delivery cartridge  400  after the fluid has interacted with the specimen-containing swab. To that end, the specimen collection chamber  407  includes a fluid inlet  412 , which may referred to as a fluid inlet orifice, and a fluid outlet  414 , which may be referred to as a fluid outlet orifice. The fluid inlet  412  is operable to provide the fluid to the specimen collection chamber  407  and the fluid outlet  414  is operable to drain or otherwise remove the fluid from the specimen collection chamber  407 . Each of the fluid inlet  412  and fluid outlet  414  may be an open flow path or may include a one way valve to restrict and direct fluid flow into and out of the specimen collection chamber  407 . An elution button  421  is positioned on the backside of the first housing portion  402  and is operable to inject fluids fluid to the specimen collection chamber  407  and to induce roiling, stripping of specimen from swab, mixing, and movement of fluid from the specimen collection chamber  407 . In an embodiment, the elution button  421  is an expandable and compressible diaphragm that is operable to manipulate fluid within the specimen collection chamber  407 . 
     The specimen collection chamber  407  includes a swab entry  416  where the shaft of a swab crosses the boundary of the specimen delivery cartridge  400  and is sealed by swab gasket  418  to prevent leaking of fluids in the specimen collection chamber. In some embodiments, the swab gasket  418  has a series of ridges  420  to reduce in serial fashion the pressure drop between the inside of the specimen collection chamber  407  and that of the ambient environment surrounding the specimen delivery cartridge  400 . Swab gasket  418  abuts a complimentary chamber gasket  419  that forms a complete seal of the swab inside the specimen delivery cartridge  400 . In one embodiment, the swab gasket  418  and chamber gasket  419  are formed by a self-aligned molding process whereby a portion of the structure of the specimen delivery cartridge forms the mold for the gasket material (which can be rubber, synthetic polymer, or other elastomeric material). In accordance with such a process, the each of the swab gasket  418  and chamber gasket  419  may be considered to be an over-molded part. The over-molding process may be implemented using a mold cavity that is configured to receive a portion of the cartridge to which the gasket is affixed, and to use the received portion of the cartridge as a mold surface on which the applicable gasket may then be molded. This type of manufacturing process combines what would typically be an assembly step with the fabrication process of molding, and thereby allows for retention features to be built into the cartridge to better retain the gasket than if the gasket were a purely assembled part. For example, the portion of the surface of the second housing portion  404  that receives the chamber gasket  419  may be scored or etched prior to molding. 
       FIG. 6  shows a leaching chamber  426  of the specimen delivery cartridge  400  that comprises a holding unit, such as leaching chamber  426  into which certain reagents and particles may be pre-loaded as part of a manufacturing step. In an embodiment, the reagents and particles may be stored within a fluid enclosed within a blister pack or other suitable container that is inserted into the leaching chamber  426 . The leaching chamber  426  is operable to introduce certain reagents useful to the execution of the given assay protocols. In some embodiments, the leaching chamber  426  is actuated upon closure of the first housing portion  402  toward the second housing portion  404  such that a latch or linkage is actuated upon closure to release a spring-loaded actuator, shown as spring-loaded plunger  427  (shown in the alternative view of the specimen delivery cartridge  400  of  FIG. 6A ) to actuate a piston  424  that pushes a gasket  422  through the leaching chamber  426  to propel fluid stored in the leaching chamber  426  toward the specimen collection chamber  407 . The gasket  422  thereby seals the leaching chamber  426  and provides a means for propelling ensconced reagents from the leaching chamber  426  into the specimen collection chamber  407 . The contents of the leaching chamber  426  are delivered into the specimen collection chamber  407  through a leaching chamber reagent inlet  425 . The leaching chamber  407  can hold a variety of reagent types including, but not limited to, mucolytic agents to break-up mucus specimens, lysis buffer to burst cells and release the contained genetic material, oligonucleotides, antibodies, microspheres, magnetic beads, particles, and other reagent types. In an embodiment, the actuation mechanism for propelling fluid into the specimen collection chamber  407  includes a spring-actuated piston  424  that is released upon the closing and first housing portion  402  toward the second housing portion  404 . The spring-actuated piston  424  is designed to have the correct amount of energy to move the gasket  422  an appropriate distance to dispense the fluid contained in the leaching chamber  426  into the specimen collection chamber  407 . 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show a detecting portion of a specimen delivery cartridge  500 , which is analogous to the specimen delivery cartridge  400  and specimen delivery cartridge  200  described above. The detecting portion is enclosed by a super-structure, shown as housing  522 . The super-structure may be a sub-housing or one contiguous piece of the specimen delivery cartridge body. The housing  522  may be fabricated from a plurality of materials including but not limited to plastic, polymer, composite, metal or other materials. In some embodiments, a reagent mixture consisting of the outputs from a given set of assay protocols is deliverable as a fluid from the specimen collection chamber through channel  502  to a splitter  503 . The splitter  503  feeds one or more downstream channels, shown as first downstream channel  504 , second downstream channel  506 , third downstream channel  508  (up to an nth downstream channel). Each of the downstream channels  504 ,  506 ,  508  are coupled to and operable to deliver fluid onto a paper diagnostic  510  at interfaces  513 ,  515  up to the nth interface  517 . The division of the original fluid path into n separate channels allows for more rapid detection owing to parallelism, and the areal efficient design of a paper diagnostic  510 . The paper diagnostic  510  may be fabricated from a variety of materials including but not limited to paper, nitro-cellulose, and other materials with suitable wicking properties. The paper diagnostic  510  is supported by a holder  512 . The holder  512  may be fabricated from a variety of materials including but not limited to plastic, polymer, composite, metal, glass or other suitable materials. In one embodiment, the paper diagnostic is patterned into flow channels using an appropriate hydrophobic material to confine fluid flow and prevent cross-talk between adjacent channels. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the arrayed paper diagnostic  510  and its position relative to an optical element  540 . The housing of the specimen delivery cartridge has been partially cut-away to allow for viewing of the internal components. The cutaway view shows that the optical element  540  allows for high quantum efficiency collection of photons emanating from the paper diagnostic  510 . The optical element may consist of some or all of a combination of lenses (e.g., lens  524  shown in  FIG. 7 ), coatings, mirrors, diffractive elements, filters, and other optical components. The optical element is supported by the element carrier  542  which may be fabricated from a variety of materials to include but not limited to plastic, polymer, composite, metal, or other suitable material. 
     In some embodiments, the optical element  540  is operable to capture chemi-luminescent photon emission from the diagnostic substrate  516  such that emitted light is reimaged onto the optical sensor (CMOS/CCD/similar) of the computing device. The optical element  540  may have one or more lenses and one or more filters. In the illustrated embodiment, each colored spot puts out an emission at a colored wavelength (maybe visual spectrum or infrared). The emission is indicative of a test result or detection of a pathogen. An optical sensor, which may be included in the specimen delivery cartridge or accessed using a computing device, is operable to detect the emission to derive a test result. The configuration of the substrate  516  and characteristics of locations on the test strip  520  of the substrate  516  may be configured to detect different pathogens. In such an embodiment, the optical sensor, used in conjunction with the specimen delivery cartridge is operable to detect multiple pathogens simultaneously by detecting multiple wavelengths or multiple positions as a result of previously placed reagents on the test strip  520 . The optical result may be stored and analyzed, and can be correlated to lookup table to determine pathogens present. 
     In another embodiment, a light pipe may be used to transmit light to or from an optical interface that is located at another position on the specimen delivery cartridge that is positioned away from the optical interface  540  but that may correspond to the position of an optical sensor included on a computing device. 
       FIGS. 9-11  illustrate another embodiment of a specimen delivery cartridge  610  having actuation ports  614  and a mating adaptor  602  that includes post actuators  612 . The post actuators  612  extend from a base surface of the mating adaptor  602  into a receiving area that is configured to receive the specimen delivery cartridge  610  to engage actuation ports  614 . The actuation ports  614  may in turn comprise blister packs or other, similar fluid dispensers that release a fluid within the body of the mating adaptor  602  upon being compressed by the post actuators  612 . The post actuators  612  may be included in the illustrated system of  FIG. 11  in lieu of or in addition to the plunger  209  (described above with regard to, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ), and may thereby be operable to cause the release of a metered amount of fluid from one or more reagent packs or other fluid dispensers upon insertion of the specimen delivery cartridge  610  into the receiving area of the mating adaptor  602 . 
     It is noted that unless an embodiment is expressly stated as being incompatible with other embodiments, the concepts and features described with respect to each embodiment may be applicable to and applied in connection with concepts and features described in the other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. To that end, the above-disclosed embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the disclosure, but the disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the forms disclosed. Many insubstantial modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the claims is intended to broadly cover the disclosed embodiments and any such modification. 
     As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification and/or the claims, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. In addition, the steps and components described in the above embodiments and figures are merely illustrative and do not imply that any particular step or component is a requirement of a claimed embodiment.