Patent Publication Number: US-2023146816-A1

Title: Large area surface sampler with invertible bag

Description:
This Patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/277,573, filed Nov. 9, 2021, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety into this disclosure. 
    
    
     GOVERNMENT INTERESTS 
     This subject disclosure was funded in-part under a DOD contract, under contract number W911SR-17-C-0056. The government may have certain rights in this subject disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Subject Disclosure 
     The subject disclosure relates generally to the collection of samples from surfaces. More particularly, the subject disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods for sampling of large surface areas for biological particles and extraction of the biological particles into a small liquid volume for subsequent analysis. 
     Background of the Subject Disclosure 
     A wide range of existing, and developing, rapid analysis platforms are potentially useful technologies for detection and identification needs. Detection and identification may key on whole organisms, nucleic acids, or proteins. Culture based analysis, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and functional assays all require live organism samples. Common nucleic acid techniques include qPCR, UHTS, and hybridization arrays. ELISA and other immunoassay techniques, mass spectrometry, chromatography techniques, and other techniques may be used for protein analysis. There are significant reasons in some cases to choose one of these techniques over the other or in some cases to analyze with more than one technique. The systems and methods are powerful techniques for rapidly detecting and identifying pathogens and other microorganisms and biological particles, but they require good techniques and devices for efficiently delivering high-quality samples, contained target organism in a small sample volume. 
     Swabs and wipes are routinely used as tools for collection of biological and non-biological materials from environmental and clinical samples. Samples are collected by swabbing or wiping an appropriate surface. The sample must then be recovered from the collection tool into a liquid buffer or in some cases directly onto a culture plate for biological samples. A number of conventional methods exist for recovery of samples from swabs and wipes, but these methods are inefficient and often recover the samples into relatively large liquid volumes. Poor recoveries and large sample volumes result in samples that are often too dilute to allow for rapid detection. Further, it is desirable to be able to perform sample recovery in a field setting with minimal equipment and minimal user steps, but these conventional methods frequently require significant user steps and a laboratory setting where vortexers or other AC powered laboratory equipment are available. 
     SUMMARY OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure addresses the problem outlined and advances the art by providing a highly efficient and easy to use, single-use surface sampling device for collection of biological and other particle types from large surface areas. The collected particles are then eluted by the user into a small liquid volume for subsequent analysis. 
     The subject disclosure is applicable to any field of human clinical, veterinary, food safety, pharmaceutical, outbreak investigations, forensics, biodefense and bioterrorism response, environmental monitoring, and other applications where collection of samples from surfaces and humans or animals is required. Swab and wipe sampling is routinely used in these and other fields to collect surface samples, human clinical, animal clinical and other sample types. More particularly, the subject disclosure utilizes devices, systems, and methods for sampling of large surface areas for biological particles and extraction of the collected biological particles into a small liquid volume for subsequent analysis. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the present subject disclosure is a single use sampling device used to collect a sample from a surface by method of manual wiping and subsequently serve as the primary transport container and a sample extraction device. A foam sponge sampling material is bonded to the inside of a bag, which includes features or methods of being sealed and creating a liquid and airtight barrier. Additionally, installed on the bottom end of the bag is a sample access port for removing the eluted sample. In some configurations the bag may not include a sample access port, but rather the user may use a serological pipette tip or other device to reach into the bag and remove the eluted sample. 
     For sampling, the bag is inverted, such that the sampling material is on the outside of the bag and the user places a hand into the bag. Sampling is performed by wiping a surface with the sampling material while the user&#39;s hand is inside the bag. After sampling, the bag is turned right side out with the sampling material inside the bag. The sampling material is either wetted prior to sampling and the residual liquid is used for extraction, or an extraction buffer is added to the bag prior to sealing. 
     To elute collected material from the sampling material the user compresses and releases the sampling material by pressing on the sides of the bag or the user massages the sampling material through the bag walls. The user then compresses the material, through the bag walls, while holding the bag vertically so that the released liquid sample drains to the sample access port. A syringe or other method of extracting the sample is then used. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the foam sponge sampling material is pre-wetted during manufacturing and then sealed within an enclosure formed on one side by the inside bag wall, or a reinforcing layer bonded to the bag wall, and on the other sides by a plastic cup with a pull handle. In this case the device is used as described above, however the user first removes the plastic cup from the sampling material by pulling on the pull handle. The sampling and extraction liquid is then present in the foam sampling material. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, multiple sampling bags are inside of each other or next to each other and held together by a clip. The bags are then sealed inside of an outside sealed bag. The user can open said outside bag and attach it to a belt or other device for easy access to multiple sampling bags. 
     An exemplary embodiment was used in a laboratory study to determine the recovery efficiency for bacterial endospores from stainless steel coupons. Large area surface samplers with three selected collection materials were tested for their ability to collect endospores. A Barcode  Bacillus thuringiensis  kurstaki (Btk) spore prep was used as a surrogate for  Bacillus anthracis . All surface testing was done with a 1 mL spike of 1×10 4  CFU/mL spread dropwise onto the test coupons which was allowed to dry in a biological cabinet for up to 30 minutes. Coupons with two different surface types, electro-polished stainless steel and stainless steel with a 2B surface finish, were used. Between tests, the stainless steel coupons were disinfected by adding a 10% bleach solution onto the plates for 5 minutes, which was wiped off and cleaned with DI water, followed by spraying and wiping with 70% ethanol. The coupons then sat in a biological cabinet, under UV light, for at least an hour prior to spiking with spores. 
     The results, as shown in Table 1, demonstrated that a 100 PPI polyester polyurethane foam material candidate provided improved recovery compared to an ultra-fine polyester polyurethane and a melamine foam. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Average Recovery of Btk Spores from two Types of Stainless Steel with 
               
               
                 Selected Foam Materials and two Wetting agents, and stainless coupons 
               
               
                 Recovery of Spores from Two Surfaces with Three Foam Types &amp; 
               
               
                 Two Buffers 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Electropolished Stainless Steel 
                 2B Stainless 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 PBS w/0.1% 
                   
                 PBS w/0.1% 
               
               
                 Foam Material 
                 Tween 20 
                 PBS only 
                 Tween 20 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 100 PPI polyester 
                 67.9% 
                 37.7% 
                 52.4% 
               
               
                 polyurethane 
               
               
                 Ultrafine polyester 
                 53.4% 
                 25.8% 
                 34.2% 
               
               
                 polyurethane 
               
               
                 Melamine 
                 66.0% 
                 16.7% 
                 23.4% 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  shows a surface sampling method for an exemplary embodiment of a large surface area sampler with Surface Sampling Step 1—Use of an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with horizontal strokes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  1 B  shows a surface sampling method for an exemplary embodiment of a large surface area sampler with Surface Sampling Step 2—Use of an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with vertical strokes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  1 C  shows a surface sampling method for an exemplary embodiment of a large surface area sampler with Surface Sampling Step 3—Use of an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with diagonal strokes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  2 A  shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  2 B  shows a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  3 A  shows a top view of a large area surface sampler after removing the protective cup that covers the sampling material, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  3 B  shows a bottom view of a large area surface sampler after removing the protective cup that covers the sampling material, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    shows a large area surface sampler after extraction of the sampling material and prior to withdrawing the liquid sample, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  5    shows a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state with an inverted bag cuff, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective view, from the angle of the bag opening, of a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state with an inverted bag cuff, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    shows a perspective view, from the angle of the bag opening, of a large area surface sampler after removing the protective cup that covers the sampling material, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    shows a sampling package component of a large area surface sampler, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    shows an exploded view of a sampling package component of a large area surface sampler, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT DISCLOSURE 
     The present subject disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods relating to a single use large area surface sampler with invertible bag used to collect a sample from a surface by method of manual wiping and which subsequently serves as a containment and extraction device. Further the invertible bag can act as a primary transport container during sample transport. The device is capable of collection from large areas, generally regarded as up to 1 m 2 . The device is also designed to be functional and easy to use while in proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as Level A or MOPP gear Level 4. 
     The basic construction of the large area surface sampler with invertible bag is that of a piece of sampling material rigidly connected to the inside of a bag. The bag is provided to the user in an inverted state and the user places their hand into the bag—allowing the bag to be used as a contaminant barrier during sampling. The user can place their hand into the bag with their palm facing the sampling material or facing away from the sampling material. 
     After sampling a surface, the bag is then reinverted and sealed, creating a liquid and airtight extraction device and primary transport container. Additionally, installed on the bag is a bag access port which is to be permanently affixed to the bottom of the bag. This port allows for the sample to quickly and easily be extracted from the bag upon arrival at the testing facility. 
     Further, the sampling material is sealed inside of a protective cup that reduces the potential for contamination and allows a sampling and extraction fluid to be sealed in the sampling material during manufacturing. During use the user pulls on a handle on the protective cup, exposing the prewetted sampling material. After sampling the bag is re-inverted, as described above, and the sampling material is compressed multiple times to release the captured material. Finally, the sampling material is compressed fully while holding the bag vertically, such that the liquid sample drains to the sampling port and can be removed using a syringe or other device through a self-opening valve. 
     The basic function of the large area surface sampler with invertible bag is to serve as an easy-to-use device to collect a biological sample from a surface while encumbered by mobility restrictive equipment. To accomplish this the large area surface sampler with invertible bag will be provided to the operator in the sampling orientation with the bag turned inside out. The operator slides their gloved hand into the flexible polyethylene bag in the sampling orientation until there is sufficient friction to keep the bag in place during sampling. The surface sampling is generally completed using CDC or similar guidelines as shown in  FIGS.  1 A,  1 B, and  1 C .  FIG.  1 A  shows Surface Sampling Step 1—Use an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with horizontal strokes.  FIG.  1 B  shows Surface Sampling Step 2—Use an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with vertical strokes.  FIG.  1 C  shows Surface Sampling Step 3—Use an overlapping ‘S’ pattern to cover the entire surface with diagonal strokes. 
     After collection, the base of the bag can be held as an anchor by the sampling hand while the other hand grabs the closure of the bag and pulls the bag right side out by moving both hands past each other. Once inverted, the bag can be sealed and will serve as the primary transport container and can be used for sample extraction in the field. Per federal regulations, both the primary and secondary containment vessels must be airtight and liquid tight for the shipment of Category A infectious substances. With a proper leak proof closure, the bag serves as a primary container. The advantage here is that the sample does not need to be extracted while still in the field and can instead be transported to a laboratory and extracted when desired. This can mean reducing the amount of time required to collect a sample and ultimately the time an operator spends at a sampling location. 
     Various methods of sample collection from surfaces already exist. Many of these methods involve swabs which can only collect from relatively small areas, 25 cm 2  or 1 ft 2 . The large area surface sampler with invertible bag is equipped with a hydrophobic polyester, polyurethane foam sampling material with increased size compared to traditional swabs and samplers. The larger material allows for sampling of surfaces greater than 1 ft 2 . 
     In addition to the hydrophobic polyester, polyurethane foam sampling material, many other types of sampling materials, that are well known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, can be used including alternative polyurethanes, hydrophilic polyurethanes, polyether polyurethanes, cellulose sponge, melamine foam, rayon, cotton, and other foam and filter materials. The polyurethane material in the present example was selected for its resistance to breaking down during sampling, ability to hold fluid during transport, recovery efficiency of organisms, and medical grade. 
     Current state-of-the-art surface samplers typically have fluid which is separate from the sampling material. The fluid is then required to be added to the sponge for wet sampling. This requires extra steps to be performed which can cause significant increases in the amount of time it takes to collect the sample, especially when utilizing a hydrophobic sampling material. As the large area surface sampler with invertible bag utilizes a hydrophobic sampling material, which is challenging and time consuming to wet while in the field, it will be provided in one of two configurations: dry or pre-wetted. Pre-wetted Mano will contain from 1 mL to 100 mL, but more commonly 10 to 25 mL of sampling fluid. 
     For the large area surface sampler with invertible bag to be provided pre-wetted, a sampling and extraction fluid is added to the sampling material prior to sealing it into a protective air-tight cup. The protective cup can be made from a range of materials that will be well appreciated by those skilled in the art, including, but not limited to: injection molded thermoplastic, formed thermoplastic, flexible plastic films, and flexible rubber films, and the like. 
     The self-contained sampling device that is bonded to the sampling bag to form the large area surface sampler with invertible bag is referred to as the sampling package component or sampling package or simply the package. The package is constructed of four components. The top piece in the figure is the hard-plastic cup, or cover, followed by the sampling material. These pieces are both individually heat sealed by an induction heat sealer onto the next piece shown, a foil material with a heat-activated peel-able adhesive. The heat seal is designed to hold tight in extreme conditions, such as altitude up to 20,000 feet, but to release easily when the cup handle is pulled by the user. To achieve this, the heat seal width is narrow and generally the heat seal is in a multi-sided shape around the edge of the cup in the sealing area. The multi-sided seal may be any shape, such as a decagon, octagon, or hexagon shape. This multisided seal, or a seal with a point at the starting point of the release during opening, enables the seal to be more easily opened when compared to a circular seal. Further, during the sealing process, the cup may be compressed to remove excess gas so that during high altitude transport, expansion of the gas is limited and as such undue stress is not placed on the seal. The last piece of the seal is a double-sided adhesive tape. This tape is used to join the foil backing to the sampling bag. 
     The package is constructed such that when applied to the bag with the double-sided adhesive, the cover can be peeled or separated from the foil backing material without separation of the bag from the package. This is made possible by the handle extending from the cup which is not welded onto the bag. When the cover is peeled away, the double-sided adhesive, the foil and the sampling material remain permanently affixed to the inside of the bag. This orientation with the sampling material exposed and facing out allows for the collection of the sample. 
     The bag sample access port allows the sample to be extracted from the bag without the need for a pipette or pipette tip. The use of such a device can be difficult when using such a large bag. Also, it could result in the entire Pipette tip becoming contaminated. Lastly, it requires the bag holding the sample to be open along the entire width of the bag. Instead, a bag access port allows a syringe device, or any device with a Luer style connection to remove the sample easily and quickly from the bag in order to minimize any potential contamination or risk to the operator that would be created by alternative methods. 
     As the sampling material is on the inside of the bag, the bag needs to be openable in order to expose the sampling material to the sampling surface. This requires the use of a closure device with the capability of, at a minimum, closed after sampling. Generally, methods like heat sealing which would allow the bag to be sealed once in the transportation position are not conducive to the type of sampling being performed as they require equipment that is large and bulky in order to create consistent leakproof seals. Other methods are possible in order to find something which could create a leakproof seal. Adhesives which can fold over and create a seal as seen with 95 KPa bags require an extra tab of material at the top of the bag which would make inversion of the bag difficult and would risk compromising the integrity of the bag. Wire tab seal methods that are used with “Whirl-Pak” bags may also be used. Some exemplary embodiments use a press to seal closure device which is capable of creating an air-tight and leak-free seal. This type of seal is extremely effective as it is easy to do while in MOPP gear and also the bag to be reopened as needed. It is recommended that a layer of tape be used on the sealed and folded over closure device to ensure as a secondary protective measure that the bag is unable to open itself by any means. 
       FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  show an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  200  in the manufactured state. In the manufactured state—prior to use—the bag  201  has sampling material  202 , bonded to the inner bag  201  surface and leak proof closure  203 . The leak proof closure  203  can be selected from a range of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. Leak proof closure  203  is used to seal bag  201  at opening  210 . Sampling material  202  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. Further the wetting agent can be designed to maintain bacterial or other biological particle viability, or it may be designed to lyse these materials during the extraction process. Specific additives to the wetting agent or collection and extraction fluid, can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: phosphate buffered saline; tris buffer; or other buffers; EDTA, viral transport medial, growth media, beef extract buffer, or surfactants including polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulfate, polaxamer 184, Pluronic, and other ionic, nonionic, cationic and zwitterionic surfactants or proteins or growth media. Tween 20 has been used extensively in the disclosed large area surface sampler with effective results, but in some cases is not compatible with some viability based assays, such as TCID50. In these cases, a surfactant such as Pluronic and media such as beef extract buffer have been demonstrated to provide efficient recovery from the surface and the collection material and to be compatible with viability assays. A range of other buffers may be added to maintain the elution fluid pH in a specific range or to supplement the fluid in other ways, such as maintain a specific ionic strength. Further, use of lysis fluids for extraction and lysis of capture microbes or inclusion of assay specific components can be used. 
     The sampling material  202  can be bonded to the bag using any number of methods and techniques that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  201  can include a sampling port  204  which is non-removably bonded to flexible tube  212  which is attached to bag  201  at seal  205 , which is a non-removable seal. The sampling port  204  can be selected from any number of devices that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. Further, sampling port  204  can simply be a clamp that is placed over flexible tube  212 . 
     The sampling material  202  can be left uncovered if desired or may be covered by a protective cup  206 .  FIG.  2 A  shows a top view of a large area surface sampler  200  with sampling material  202  and protective cup  206 , and  FIG.  2 B  shows a bottom view of a large area surface sampler  200  with sampling material  202  and protective cup  206 . If the sampling material  202  is covered, then it may be first filled with a wetting agent prior to sealing the protective cup  206  against the bag  201 . The protective cup  206  may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup  206  can be sealed to the bag  201  using seal  208 , which is a removable seal, which can be selected from any number of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup  206  includes handle  207  which is used to remove the protective cup  206  from bag  201  prior to sampling. Further protective cup  206  includes sealing flange  211  which allows for bonding to bag  201 . 
     Bag  201  is provided to users in the inverted state. In this configuration the sampling material  202  is on the outside of the inverted bag  201 . The bottom  209  of bag  201  can be left sticking into the inside of the bag  201 . This is shown in  FIG.  2 A  from the top side view with sampling material  202  and protective cup  206  viewed through both layers of the bag  201  and with sampling port  204  and seal  205  viewed through the top layer of the bag  201 .  FIG.  2 B  shows the bottom side view of bag  201  with sampling material  202  and protective cup  206  on the outside of the bag  201 . 
     To use the large area surface sampler  200 , the user places their hand into bag  201  through the opening at leak proof closure  203 . The user may use the large area surface sampler  200  with the palm of the hand facing toward or away from sampling material  202 . While keeping one hand in the bag  201 , the user grasps handle  207  with their second hand and peels it from bag  201 . 
     While leaving their hand in the bag  201  the user can then wipe a surface with the sampling material  202  using any number of methods including linear passes followed by passes at 90 degrees and 45 degrees to the first pass as is outlined in the CDC sampling method, circular motion or other motions that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     After sampling the user can grasp the bottom  209  of bag  201  with their hand in the bag and using the second hand they can grasp at or near leak proof closure  203 . By pulling with both hands towards each other—until passing each other—the user can then reinvert the bag  201 . To make grasping and reinversion of the bag  201  easier for the user, the bag  201 , near leak proof closure  203  can be folded over, forming a cuff. In this way inversion of bag  201  is already initiated. Further, the user can grasp flexible tube  212  or flexible tube  212  and bottom  209  together to assist in the inversion process. A removable rigid or flexible cap can also be provided over sampling port  204  to reduce the potential for contamination of sampling port  204 . The cap is removed from sampling port  204  before extract of sample from sampling port  204 . 
     Bag  201  can then be either transported to a laboratory or other location for extraction and analysis or extraction can be performed on site. For transport, bag  201  is sealed using leak proof closure  203  and placed inside of a secondary container prior to transport. For extraction of a dry sampling material  202 , a liquid extraction buffer is added to the inside of the bag and the leak proof closure  203  is closed. For extraction of a wet sampling material  202 , the leak proof closure  203  is simply closed. 
     To extract the sampling material  203 , the user holds bag  201  horizontally with sampling material  202  at the bottom of the bag. The bag  201  is then folded until the leak proof closure  203  end and the sampling port  204  end are touching or nearly touching. In this way sampling material  202  is at the bottom of the now U-shaped bag  201 . The user then grasps sampling material  202  in the palm of one hand, through the wall of bag  201 , and tightly squeezes the sampling material  202 —expelling most of the liquid sample out of the sampling material  202 . The sampling material  202  is then released so that the liquid flows back out of said sampling material. Continuing to hold bag  201  in the same configuration and orientation the user then repeats the squeeze and release method at least two more times. 
     Various methods of compressing or massaging the sampling material  202  through the wall of bag  201  to extract the liquid sample and collected material can be used including, but not limited to: massaging with one had on each side of bag  201  being moved in a circular motion while compressing sampling material  202 , by laying the bag on a surface and then pressing down with a hand onto the sampling material  202  through the wall of bag  201 , by passing bag  201  through compression rollers, by lay bag  201  on a surface and then passing a roller over the bag  201  or by pressing down on bag with a flat material, by twisting bag  201  to “wring” out the sampling material  202 , and any other technique by which the sampling material can be compressed or massaged through the wall of bag  201  without damaging bag  201 . Massaging or compression of sampling material  202  can be performed using any number of methods and techniques that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, 
     The user then holds bag  201  vertically such that leak proof closure  203  is at the top of the bag  201  and the sampling port  204  is at the bottom of the bag  201 . While holding bag  201  in this configuration and orientation, the user then tightly squeezes the sampling material  202  in the palm of one hand until nearly all of the liquid sample has been expelled. The user continues to hold bag  201  vertically until nearly all liquid sample has drained to sampling port  204 . Again, continuing to hold bag  201  vertically the user now attaches a syringe or other sample extraction device to sampling port  204 . The user then pulls back on the syringe barrel until nearly all of the liquid sampling has been withdrawn from bag  201 . 
     Other methods of extraction, that are like the method described above or three repeated compress and release steps performed in the palm of the hand, can also be used with the large area surface sampler  200 . These include the following: compressing and releasing the sampling material  202 , through the wall of bag  201 , between the palms of two hands; massaging the sampling material by circular and up and down compression and movement; and placing the bag on a flat surface or in a bowl or other cupped surface and then compressing and releasing or massaging with one or two hands. 
     After removal of the liquid sample from bag  201 , the user or laboratory may utilize any number of analysis methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art including, but not limited to the following: culture/enumerate, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ATP-based methods, sequencing, antigen assays, biochemical assays, molecular detection methods, other rapid microbiological detection methods, mass spectrometry, chemical, cytometry, flow cytometry, or other growth-based microbiology methods to detect biological particles. Additionally, chemical analysis techniques may be used on the extracted sample to detect and identify particles of biological or non-biological nature. 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  show an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  300  without a protective cup covering the sampling material  302 . In the manufactured state—prior to use—the bag  301  has sampling material  302 , bonded to the inner bag  301  surface and leak proof closure  303 . The leak proof closure  303  can be selected from a range of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. Sampling material  302  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material  302  can be bonded to the bag using any number of techniques that will be appreciated by known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  301  can include a sampling port  304  which is attached flexible tube  308  and then to bag  301  at seal  305 . The sampling port  304  can be selected from any number of devices that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. 
     The sampling material  302  can be left uncovered if desired, as is shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , or may be covered by a protective cup. If the sampling material  302  is covered, then it may be first filled with a wetting agent prior to sealing a protective cup over the sampling material  302  and against the bag  301 . 
       FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  are provided here to show the state of the bag  301  after removal of the protective cup, or as manufactured without a protective cup.  FIG.  3 A  shows a top view of a large area surface sampler  300  with sampling material  302  under bag  301 .  FIG.  3 B  shows a bottom view of a large area surface sampler  300  with bag  301  flipped over so that sampling material  302  is on top. Bag  301  is used in the same manner as described above for bag  201  in  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  and will not be repeated again here for sake of brevity 
       FIG.  4    shows an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  400  after reinversion of bag  401  and extraction of a liquid sample  406  from the sampling material  402 . The bag  401  has sampling material  402 , bonded to the inner bag  401  surface and leak proof closure  403 . The leak proof closure  403  can be selected from a range of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. Sampling material  402  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material  402  can be bonded to the bag using any number of techniques that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  401  can include a sampling port  404  which is attached to bag  401  at seal  405 . The sampling port  404  can be selected from any number of devices that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. 
       FIG.  4    is provided here to primarily show the state of the bag  401  after extraction of sampling material  402 . Bag  401  used is the same as described above for bag  201  in  FIG.  2 A  and  FIG.  2 B . After extraction of sampling material  402 , the liquid sample  406  is allowed to drain to the bottom of bag  401 . The user may then attach a sample extraction device, such as a luer lock syringe to sampling port  404  and remove the sample from bag  401  by drawing back on the syringe plunger. 
     After removal of the liquid sample from bag  401 , the user or laboratory may utilize any number of analysis methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art including, but not limited to the following: culture/enumerate, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ATP-based methods, sequencing, antigen assays, biochemical assays, molecular detection methods, other rapid microbiological detection methods, mass spectrometry, chemical, cytometry, flow cytometry, or other growth-based microbiology methods to detect biological particles. Additionally, chemical analysis techniques may be used on the extracted sample to detect and identify particles of biological or non-biological nature. 
       FIG.  5    show an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  500  in the manufactured state. In the manufactured state—prior to use—the bag  501  has sampling material bonded to the inner bag  501  surface and leak proof closure  502 . The leak proof closure  502  can be selected from a range of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. The sampling material is not visible in this drawing because it is covered by the protective cup  504  with flat sealing ring  505  and handle  506 . The sampling material can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material can be bonded to the bag using any number of methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  501  can include a sampling port  503  which is attached to bag  501 . The sampling port  503  can be selected from any number of devices that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. 
     The sampling material can be left uncovered if desired or may be covered, as is shown in  FIG.  5   , by a protective cup  504 . If the sampling material is covered, then it may be first filled with a wetting agent prior to sealing the protective cup  504  against the bag  501 . The protective cup  504  may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup  504  can be sealed to the bag  501  using seal  507  between the cup sealing ring  505  and the bag  501 . The seal  507  is a non-permanent, removable seal, which can be selected from any number of methods that will be known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup  504  includes handle  506  which is used to remove the protective cup  504  from bag  501  prior to sampling. 
     Bag  501  is provided to users in the inverted state. In this configuration the sampling material is on the outside of the inverted bag  501 . The top of the bag  501  and leak proof closure  502  are left folded over as shown so that the user can grasp this material when reinverting the bag after sampling and before extraction. The bottom of the bag  501 , near sampling port  503 , can be left sticking into the inside of the bag  501 , for another point for the user to grab when reinverting the bag  501 . 
     To use the large area surface sampler  500 , the user places their hand into bag  501  through the opening at leak proof closure  502 . The user may use the large area surface sampler  500  with the palm of the hand facing toward or away from sampling material and protective cup  504 . While keeping one hand in the bag  501 , the user grasps handle  506  with their second hand and peels it from bag  501 , exposing the sampling material. 
     While leaving their hand in the bag  501  the user can then wipe a surface with the sampling material using any number of methods including linear passes followed by passes at 90 degrees and 45 degrees to the first pass as is outlined in the CDC sampling method, circular motion or other motions that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     After sampling, the user can grasp the inside bottom of bag  501  with their hand in the bag and, using the second hand, they can grasp the folded over bag material near the leak proof closure  502 . By pulling with both hands towards each other—until passing each other—the user can then reinvert the bag  501 . 
     Bag  501  can then be either transported to a laboratory or other location for extraction and analysis or extraction can be performed on site. For transport, bag  501  is sealed using leak proof closure  502  and placed inside of a secondary container prior to transport. For extraction of a dry sampling material, a liquid extraction buffer is added to the inside of the bag and the leak proof closure  502  is closed. For extraction of a wet sampling material, the leak proof closure  502  is simply closed prior to extraction. 
     To extract the sampling material, the user holds bag  501  horizontally with sampling material at the bottom of the bag. The bag  501  is then folded until the leak proof closure  502  end and the sampling port  503  end are touching or nearly touching. In this way sampling material is at the bottom of the now U-shaped bag  501 . The user then grasps the sampling material in the palm of one hand, through the wall of bag  501 , and tightly squeezes the sampling material—expelling most of the liquid sample out of the sampling material. The sampling material is then released so that the liquid flows back out of said sampling material. Continuing to hold bag  501  in the same configuration and orientation the user then repeats the squeeze and release method at least two more times. 
     The user then holds bag  501  vertically such that leak proof closure  502  is at the top of the bag  501  and the sampling port  503  is at the bottom of the bag  501 . While holding bag  501  in this configuration and orientation the user then tightly squeezes the sampling material in the palm of one hand until nearly all of the liquid sample has been expelled. The user continues to hold bag  501  vertically until nearly all liquid sample has drained to sampling port  503 . Again, continuing to hold bag  501  vertically the user now attaches a syringe or other sample extraction device to sampling port  503 . The user then pulls back on the syringe barrel until nearly all of the liquid sampling has been withdrawn from bag  501 . 
     Other methods of extraction, that are like the method described above or three repeated compress and release steps performed in the palm of the hand, can also be used with the large area surface sampler  500 . These include the following: compressing and releasing the sampling material, through the wall of bag  501 , between the palms of two hands; massaging the sampling material by circular and up and down compression and movement; and placing the bag  501  on a flat surface or in a bowl or other cupped surface and then compressing and releasing or massaging with one or two hands. 
     After removal of the liquid sample from bag  501 , the user or laboratory may utilize any number of analysis methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art including, but not limited to the following: culture/enumerate, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ATP-based methods, sequencing, antigen assays, biochemical assays, molecular detection methods, other rapid microbiological detection methods, mass spectrometry, chemical, cytometry, flow cytometry, or other growth-based microbiology methods to detect biological particles. Additionally, chemical analysis techniques may be used on the extracted sample to detect and identify particles of biological or non-biological nature. 
       FIG.  6    show an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  600  in the manufactured state. In the manufactured state—prior to use—the bag  601  has sampling material bonded to the inner bag  601  surface with leak proof closure  602  and opening  608 . The leak proof closure  602  can be selected from a range of methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. The sampling material is not visible in this drawing because it is covered by the protective cup  604  with flat sealing ring  605  and handle  606 . The sampling material can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material can be bonded to the bag using any number of methods and techniques that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  601  can include a sampling port  603  which is attached to bag  601 . The sampling port  603  can be selected from any number of devices that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. 
     The sampling material can be left uncovered if desired or may be covered, as is shown in  FIG.  6   , by a protective cup  604 . If the sampling material is covered, then it may be first filled with a wetting agent prior to sealing the protective cup  604  against the bag  601 . The protective cup  604  may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup  604  can be sealed to the bag  601  using seal  607  between the cup sealing ring  605  and the bag  601 . The seal  607  is a non-permanent, removable seal, which can be selected from any number of methods that will be known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup  604  includes handle  606  which is used to remove the protective cup  604  from bag  601  prior to sampling. 
     Bag  601  is provided to users in the inverted state. In this configuration the sampling material is on the outside of the inverted bag  601 . The top of the bag  601  and leak proof closure  602  are left folded over as shown so that the user can grasp this material when reinverting the bag after sampling and before extraction. The bottom of the bag  601 , near sampling port  604 , can be left sticking into the inside of the bag  601 , for another point for the user to grab when reinverting the bag  601 . 
     To use the large area surface sampler  600 , the user places their hand into bag  601  through the opening  608  at leak proof closure  602 . The user may use the large area surface sampler  600  with the palm of the hand facing toward or away from sampling material and protective cup  604 . While keeping one hand in the bag  601 , the user grasps handle  606  with their second hand and peels it from bag  601 , exposing the sampling material. 
     While leaving their hand in the bag  601  the user can then wipe a surface with the sampling material using any number of techniques including linear passes followed by passes at 90 degrees and 45 degrees to the first pass as is outlined in the CDC sampling method, circular motion or other motions that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     After sampling the user can grasp the inside bottom of bag  601  with their hand in the bag and using the second hand they can grasp the folded over bag material near the leak proof closure  602 . By pulling with both hands towards each other—until passing each other—the user can then reinvert the bag  601 . 
     Bag  601  can then be either transported to a laboratory or other location for extraction and analysis or extraction can be performed on site. For transport, bag  601  is sealed using leak proof closure  602  and placed inside of a secondary container prior to transport. For extraction of a dry sampling material, a liquid extraction buffer is added to the inside of the bag and the leak proof closure  602  is closed. For extraction of a wet sampling material, the leak proof closure  602  is simply closed prior to extraction. 
     To extract the sampling material, the user holds bag  601  horizontally with sampling material at the bottom of the bag. The bag  601  is then folded until the leak proof closure  602  end and the sampling port  603  end are touching or nearly touching. In this way sampling material is at the bottom of the now U-shaped bag  601 . The user then grasps the sampling material in the palm of one hand, through the wall of bag  601 , and tightly squeezes the sampling material—expelling most of the liquid sample out of the sampling material. The sampling material is then released so that the liquid flows back out of said sampling material. Continuing to hold bag  601  in the same configuration and orientation the user then repeats the squeeze and release method at least two more times. 
     The user then holds bag  601  vertically such that leak proof closure  602  is at the top of the bag  601  and the sampling port  603  is at the bottom of the bag  601 . While holding bag  601  in this configuration and orientation the user then tightly squeezes the sampling material in the palm of one hand until nearly all of the liquid sample has been expelled. The user continues to hold bag  601  vertically until nearly all liquid sample has drained to sampling port  603 . Again, continuing to hold bag  601  vertically the user now attaches a syringe or other sample extraction device to sampling port  603 . The user then pulls back on the syringe barrel until nearly all of the liquid sampling has been withdrawn from bag  601 . 
     Other methods of extraction, that are like the method described above or three repeated compress and release steps performed in the palm of the hand, can also be used with the large area surface sampler  600 . These include the following: compressing and releasing the sampling material, through the wall of bag  601 , between the palms of two hands; massaging the sampling material by circular and up and down compression and movement; and placing the bag  601  on a flat surface or in a bowl or other cupped surface and then compressing and releasing or massaging with one or two hands. 
     After removal of the liquid sample from bag  601 , the user or laboratory may utilize any number of analysis methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art including, but not limited to the following: culture/enumerate, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ATP-based methods, sequencing, antigen assays, biochemical assays, molecular detection methods, other rapid microbiological detection methods, mass spectrometry, chemical, cytometry, flow cytometry, or other growth-based microbiology methods to detect biological particles. Additionally, chemical analysis techniques may be used on the extracted sample to detect and identify particles of biological or non-biological nature. 
       FIG.  76    show an exemplary embodiment of a large area surface sampler  700  following removal of the protective cup. The large area surface sampler  700  is the sample as that shown in  FIG.  5    and  FIG.  6    but is shown after removal of the protective cup by the user. The bag  701  has sampling material  704  bonded to the inner bag  701  surface with leak proof closure  702  and opening  706 . The leak proof closure  702  can be selected from a range of options that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: zipper-type closures, folded waterproof bag type seals, adhesive seals, and twisted seals. The sampling material  704  is visible in this drawing because the protective cup has been removed from the sealing material  705 . The sampling material  704  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material  704  may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material  704  can be bonded to the bag using any number of techniques that will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sampling bag  701  can include a sampling port  703  which is attached to bag  701 . The sampling port  703  can be selected from any number of devices that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: self-opening valves, luer-lock valves, self-opening luer lock valves, self-sealing ports, septums, split septums, self-healing ports, spike ports, push-pull connectors, John Guest connectors, and push-to-connect. 
     The sampling material  704  can be left uncovered if desired or may be covered by a protective cup. If the sampling material  704  is covered, then it may be first filled with a wetting agent prior to sealing the protective cup against the bag  701  with sealing material  705 . The protective cup may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup can be sealed to the bag  701  using sealing material  705  between the cup sealing ring and the bag  701 . The sealing ring  705  provides a non-permanent, removable seal, which can be selected from any number of options that will be known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup includes handle which is used to remove the protective cup from bag  701  prior to sampling. 
     Bag  701  is provided to users in the inverted state. In this configuration the sampling material  704  is on the outside of the inverted bag  701 . The top of the bag  701  and leak proof closure  702  are left folded over as shown so that the user can grasp this material when reinverting the bag after sampling and before extraction. The bottom of the bag  701 , near sampling port  703 , can be left sticking into the inside of the bag  701 , for another point for the user to grab when reinverting the bag  701 . 
     To use the large area surface sampler  700 , the user places their hand into bag  701  through the opening  706  at leak proof closure  702 . The user may use the large area surface sampler  700  with the palm of the hand facing toward or away from sampling material  704 . While keeping one hand in the bag  701 , the user grasps the cup handle with their second hand and peels it from bag  701 , exposing the sampling material  704 . 
     While leaving their hand in the bag  701  the user can then wipe a surface with the sampling material  704  using any number of methods including linear passes followed by passes at 90 degrees and 45 degrees to the first pass as is outlined in the CDC sampling method, circular motion or other motions that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     After sampling the user can grasp the inside bottom of bag  701  with their hand in the bag and using the second hand they can grasp the folded over bag material near the leak proof closure  702 . By pulling with both hands towards each other—until passing each other—the user can then reinvert the bag  701 . 
     Bag  701  can then be either transported to a laboratory or other location for extraction and analysis or extraction can be performed on site. For transport, bag  701  is sealed using leak proof closure  702  and placed inside of a secondary container prior to transport. For extraction of a dry sampling material  704 , a liquid extraction buffer is added to the inside of the bag and the leak proof closure  702  is closed. For extraction of a wet sampling material  704 , the leak proof closure  702  is simply closed prior to extraction. 
     To extract the sampling material  704 , the user holds bag  701  horizontally with sampling material  704  at the bottom of the bag. The bag  701  is then folded until the leak proof closure  702  end and the sampling port  703  end are touching or nearly touching. In this way sampling material  704  is at the bottom of the now U-shaped bag  701 . The user then grasps the sampling material  704  in the palm of one hand, through the wall of bag  701 , and tightly squeezes the sampling material  704 —expelling most of the liquid sample out of the sampling material  704 . The sampling material  704  is then released so that the liquid flows back out of said sampling material  704 . Continuing to hold bag  701  in the same configuration and orientation the user then repeats the squeeze and release method at least two more times. 
     The user then holds bag  701  vertically such that leak proof closure  702  is at the top of the bag  701  and the sampling port  703  is at the bottom of the bag  701 . While holding bag  701  in this configuration and orientation the user then tightly squeezes the sampling material  704  in the palm of one hand until nearly all of the liquid sample has been expelled. The user continues to hold bag  701  vertically until nearly all liquid sample has drained to sampling port  703 . Again, continuing to hold bag  701  vertically the user now attaches a syringe or other sample extraction device to sampling port  703 . The user then pulls back on the syringe barrel until nearly all of the liquid sampling has been withdrawn from bag  701 . 
     Other methods of extraction, that are like the method described above or three repeated compress and release steps performed in the palm of the hand, can also be used with the large area surface sampler  700 . These include the following: compressing and releasing the sampling material  704 , through the wall of bag  701 , between the palms of two hands; massaging the sampling material  704  by circular and up and down compression and movement; and placing the bag  701  on a flat surface or in a bowl or other cupped surface and then compressing and releasing or massaging with one or two hands. 
     After removal of the liquid sample from bag  701 , the user or laboratory may utilize any number of analysis methods that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art including, but not limited to the following: culture/enumerate, polymerase chain reaction, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, ATP-based methods, sequencing, antigen assays, biochemical assays, molecular detection methods, other rapid microbiological detection methods, mass spectrometry, chemical, cytometry, flow cytometry, or other growth-based microbiology methods to detect biological particles. Additionally, chemical analysis techniques may be used on the extracted sample to detect and identify particles of biological or non-biological nature. 
       FIG.  8    shows an exemplary embodiment of sampling package component  800  of a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state. In the manufactured state—prior to use—the sampling package component  800  includes a sampling material  804  and protective cup  801  with handle  803  and flat sealing ring  802 , which are all bonded to a sampling bag using one or more layers of sealing material  805 . 
     The sampling material  804  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material  804  can be bonded to the bag using any number of methods or sealing materials  805  that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sealing material  805  is designed to provide a non-removable seal with the sampling material  804  that will withstand shipping and handling, air transport up to 20,000 feet, e-beam or gamma irradiation sterilization processes, and extended storage at room temperature and above. 
     The protective cup  801  may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup  801  can be sealed to a sampling bag using sealing material  805  between the cup flat sealing ring  802  and the bag. In this case the sealing material  805  is a non-permanent, removable seal, which can be selected from any number of methods that will be known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup  804  includes handle  803  which is used to remove the protective cup  804  from bag  801  prior to sampling. The sealing material  805  is designed to provide a leak proof seal that will withstand shipping and handling, air transport up to 20,000 feet, e-beam or gamma irradiation sterilization processes, and extended storage at room temperature and above. The sealing material  805  must also allow straightforward release of the protective cup  801  from the bag when the user pulls on handle  803 . 
       FIG.  9    shows an exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of sampling package component  900  of a large area surface sampler in the manufactured state. In the manufactured state—prior to use—the sampling package component  900  includes a sampling material  904  and protective cup  901  with handle  903  and flat sealing ring  902 , which are all bonded to a sampling bag using one or more layers of sealing material  905  and  906 . 
     The sampling material  904  can be selected from a range of materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: foam sponge materials; filter materials including, but not limited to: non-woven, woven, membrane, depth, electret, hydrophobic, hydrophilic filter materials. The sampling material may be packaged in dry or wet state during manufacturing. The wetting agent can be selected from a range of liquids that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: water, surfactant solutions, buffers, and solvents along with other additives such as neutralizing agents. 
     The sampling material  904  can be bonded to the bag using any number of methods or sealing materials  905  and  906  that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. The sealing material  905  and  906  is designed to provide a non-removable seal with the sampling material  904  that will withstand shipping and handling, air transport up to 20,000 feet, e-beam or gamma irradiation sterilization processes, and extended storage at room temperature and above. 
     The protective cup  901  may be of a thermoplastic or other materials that will be known to and appreciated by those skilled in the art. The protective cup  901  can be sealed to a sampling bag using sealing material  905  between the cup flat sealing ring  902  and the bag. In this case the sealing material  905  and  906  provides a non-permanent, removable seal, which can be selected from any number of methods that will be known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to: tapes and adhesive films, contact adhesives, spray adhesives, thermal adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, and thermal welding. Protective cup  904  includes handle  903  which is used to remove the protective cup  904  from bag  901  prior to sampling. The sealing material  905  and  906  is designed to provide a leak proof seal that will withstand shipping and handling, air transport up to 20,000 feet, e-beam or gamma irradiation sterilization processes, and extended storage at room temperature and above. The sealing materials  905  and  906  must also allow straightforward release of the protective cup  901  from the bag when the user pulls on handle  903 . 
     The foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present subject disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the subject disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the subject disclosure is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents. 
     Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present subject disclosure, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present subject disclosure as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present subject disclosure should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present subject disclosure.