US 12,077,806 B2
Method for the spectrometric characterization of microorganisms
Norman Mauder, Bremen (DE)
Filed by Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen (DE)
Filed on Apr. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/303,204.
Application 18/303,204 is a continuation of application No. 17/060,766, filed on Oct. 1, 2020, granted, now 11,661,620.
Claims priority of application No. 102020105123 (DE), filed on Feb. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0250462 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C12Q 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC C12Q 1/04 (2013.01) [G01N 2560/00 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A test system for a spectrometric characterization of microorganisms, comprising:
a mass spectrometer for determining an identity of a test microorganism on a first taxonomic level;
an infrared spectrometer having a measurement chamber in which a specimen slide carrying biomass of the test microorganism is held during the acquisition of infrared spectrometric measurement data from the test microorganism; and
a processing device having access to a database which includes a plurality of variance conditioned classifiers, each classifier being trained to determine the identity of the test microorganism on a second taxonomic level which is subordinate to the first taxonomic level, where possible identities of the classifier on the second taxonomic level are assigned to an identity of the test microorganism on the first taxonomic level, and further each classifier being conditioned with respect to at least one variance, for the purpose of distinguishing identities of a microorganism on the second taxonomic level, to infrared spectrometric measurement data acquired from the test microorganism under conditions which allow the at least one variance to have an effect, wherein the at least one variance does not have its origin in the taxonomic classification of the microorganism;
wherein the processing device selects a classifier from the database in accordance with the determined identity of the test microorganism on the first taxonomic level and applies it to the infrared spectrometric measurement data acquired from the test microorganism in order to determine its identity on the second taxonomic level.