US 11,807,894 B2
Systems and methods for identifying a culture as positive for microorganisms with high confidence
Patrick Shawn Beaty, Dallastown, PA (US)
Assigned to BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY, Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
Filed by BECTON DICKINSON AND COMPANY, Franklin Lakes, NJ (US)
Filed on May 29, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/425,213.
Application 16/425,213 is a continuation of application No. 12/918,019, granted, now 10,337,046, previously published as PCT/US2008/002175, filed on Feb. 19, 2008.
Prior Publication US 2019/0276869 A1, Sep. 12, 2019
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C12Q 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC C12Q 1/04 (2013.01) 28 Claims
 
1. A method comprising:
(A) incubating, with an incubator, a culture disposed within a vessel during portions of a time interval between a first time point and a second time point, wherein the culture comprises a sample and a culture media;
(B) measuring, with a sensor, a biological state of the culture at a plurality of time points between the first time point and the second time point, wherein the biological state is one of CO2 concentration, O2 concentration, pH, a rate of change in CO2 concentration, a rate of change in O2 concentration, or a rate of change in pH and wherein the sensor is one of a colorimetric sensor, a fluorometric sensor, a nephelometric sensor or an infrared sensor;
(C) determining, with one or more processors, a plurality of rate transformation values, wherein each rate transformation value is derived from a different subset of the measurements of the biological state of the culture within a predetermined time interval;
(D) determining, with the one or more processors, a plurality of measures of central tendency, wherein each measure of central tendency is derived from a different subset of the rate transformation values;
(E) determining, with the one or more processors, whether the culture contains a plurality of microorganisms based on (i) whether at least one measure of central tendency is greater than or less than a first threshold value or (ii) whether an extent of growth exhibited by the culture is greater than or less than a second threshold value, wherein the extent of growth is derived from one or more of the measurements of the biological state of the culture; and
(F) processing the vessel to confirm the presence of the plurality of microorganisms if it is determined in step (E) that the culture contains a plurality of microorganisms.