Patent ID: 7945393

Claim:
A method comprising: a) providing a library having a plurality of sublibraries, wherein each said sublibrary contains a plurality of reference data sets generated by at least one of a corresponding one of a plurality of spectroscopic data generating instruments associated with said sublibrary, and wherein each reference data set characterizes a corresponding known pathogenic microorganism; b) obtaining a plurality of test data sets characteristic of an unknown material, wherein each test data set is generated by at least one of the plurality of spectroscopic data generating instruments; c) instructing a processor to perform the following: d) for each test data set, searching each sublibrary associated with the spectroscopic data generating instrument used to generate said test data set, to thereby produce a corresponding set of scores for each searched sublibrary, wherein each score in said set of scores indicates a likelihood of a match between a corresponding one of said plurality of reference data sets in said searched sublibrary and said test data set; e calculating a set of relative probability values for each searched sublibrary based on the corresponding set of scores for each searched sublibrary; and f fusing all relative probability values using Bayesian fusion to thereby produce a set of final probability values to be used in determining whether said unknown material is represented through a corresponding known pathogenic microorganism characterized in the library.