Patent ID: 8858884

Claim:
A sterilization indicator system, comprising: a vial comprising: a first compartment comprising spores of one or more species of microorganism; a second compartment comprising a growth medium comprising one or more of a disaccharide, an oligosaccharide or a polysaccharide capable of conversion to a monosaccharide by germinating cells of the one or more species of microorganism, and wherein the vial is free of the monosaccharide and is adapted to combine contents of the first compartment with contents of the second compartment for incubation after the vial has been exposed to a sterilant; an enzyme, capable of acting upon the monosaccharide and producing an electron transfer, disposed on two or more electrodes adapted to carry an electrical signal resulting from the electron transfer when the enzyme acts upon the monosaccharide, wherein the pair of electrodes are positioned to contact the combined contents of the first compartment and the second compartment during and/or after incubation; and an apparatus linked or linkable to the electrodes and adapted to detect and measure the electrical signal resulting from the electron transfer when the enzyme acts upon the monosaccharide.