Patent Application: US-201213983573-A

Abstract:
with a method and equipment according to this invention the best possible growth start of hygiene indicators and other bacteria and other microbes in water samples is ensured in microbe cultivations for example on colilert ™ media using both static cultivations and bubbled cultures such as in a pmeu type cultivation . the objective is the best possible microbiological detection value of a water sample or process sample regardless of whether the said cultivation is implemented without bubbling or other mixing or with it . the equipment and method according to the invention applies to and can be connected with automatic or manual sampling .

Description:
in the microbial control of water intake works , waterworks and water distribution networks , and with all liquid products and processes alike , there may be situations in which it is advantageous to take automatic water samples . this makes it possible to arrange a so - called “ early warning ” type of alarm as early as possible . this alarm may have multiple stages , for example : 1 . physical and chemical criteria 2 . static cultivation in a cultivation device of an automatically collected microbiological sample 3 . cultivation according to the pmeu method in which the start and speed of the growth of the microbiological sample is tried to be optimized to gain as reliable results as possible a positive indication from the “ alarm stage ” can automatically initiate the sampling at the following stage . simultaneously , the remote warning and alerting of people that are responsible for operations can be done , for example , by using a computer network or telecommunication network . apart from the last stage in which the detection of heterotrophic microbes is advantageous to be performed , cultivation can also be done already on the second stage with the help of gas flow , if it is seen necessary . in this case it is advantageous to use the colilert ™ media or similar antibiotics containing selective culture media and different markers or marking methods to detect coliform bacteria , for example . it is especially important that during sampling , which process includes the adding of culture media into the sample either in a dry or liquid form and possibly in a concentrated form , the differences of pressure and other factors caused by gases during the adding of and / or mixing of substances does not inhibit microbe growth as the focal objective of this method is the detection of microbes . when samples are collected into containers , test tubes or pmeu syringes or similar , in automatic sampling , it is also possible to rinse in advance the container , test tube , syringe or similar into which the samples are collected with an appropriate gas . in this case it is possible to take into consideration for example the promoting effect of carbon dioxide on the start of microbe growth in certain conditions , or possibly the positive effect of the use of hydrogen gas to the growth of some microbes in small concentrations ( hakalehto , 2011 ). thus in automated sampling it is advantageous to construct the device in such a way that the mixing of the culture media and the sample does not cause additional stress to the cells , which are to be detected , in the sample . gas already existing in the sample , rinsing with gas or leading gas into the culture during sampling or the various cultivation stages , can be used to help sample collection . the method and device according to this invention may contain advantageously one or more bottles of pressurized gas and / or gas mixture which are exploited in a controlled manner regardless of whether the sample is taken on a selective colilert ™ media or similar or a general media that allows the growth of heterotrophic bacteria or other microbes . alternatively , the cultivation containers , test tubes , syringes or similar that are placed in the microbe cultivation device can in advance be rinsed with an appropriate gas or gas mixture regardless of whether they contain selective factors for a certain culture media or not , or in general regardless of whether they contain culture media in solid or liquid form . this operation can be performed , and in many cases is advantageous to perform , in both static and for example bubbled cultivations , such as the pmeu cultivation . when the sampling is arranged in a manner that gas conditions in connection with it are as preferable as possible to the start of the microbe growth , the result is as optimal as possible regardless of whether aerobic , microaerobic or anaerobic gas is used in the actual cultivation , or whether the cultivation is partly or in full done in a static cultivation or in full , for example , in a pmeu type cultivation arrangement . the information that is gained from the water sample in advance or afterwards as well as information at time of sampling may guide the use of the carrier gas in the sampling in terms of pressure , flow , composition , concentration , temperature or other parameters . hakalehto , e . 2006 . semmelweis &# 39 ; 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