Patent ID: 8362435

Claim:
A method of screening comprising: (a) generating at least one first excitation-emission type graph from at least one known sample, wherein each known sample contains one type of known particle; (b) irradiation each known sample with ultraviolet light, wherein each known sample receives a first ultraviolet radiation dose of between about 1 to 100 Joules/cm 2 , the first ultraviolet radiation dose being sufficient to produce at least one detectable change in at least one feature of the excitation-emission type graph; (c) generating a second excitation-emission type graph from each known sample following the irradiation of step 6(b); (d) generating at least one first excitation-emission result pattern for at least one unknown sample, wherein each unknown sample contains at least one type of unknown particle; (e) irradiating each unknown sample with ultraviolet light, wherein each unknown sample receives a second ultraviolet radiation dose of between about 1 to 100 Joules/cm 2 , the second ultraviolet radiation dose being substantially similar to the first ultraviolet radiation dose, wherein the second ultraviolet radiation dose is sufficient to produce at least one detectable change in at least one feature of the first excitation-emission result pattern; (f) generating a second excitation-emission result pattern from each unknown sample following the irradiation of step 6(e); (g) comparing the first excitation-emission result pattern and the second excitation-emission result pattern with one another and with at least one of the first excitation-emission type graph and the second excitation-emission type graph; (h) determining, based on the comparing of step 6(g), whether microorganisms are present in each unknown sample.