JP-2022515405-A5 -

Dates

Publication Date

20221227

Application Date

20191220

Description

While the specific embodiments described above are presented for illustrative purposes, it should be understood that these embodiments are readily subject to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. The present invention also provides the following embodiments. [1] A method for processing a sample containing microbial cells, The steps include: introducing a sample into an integrated fluid device comprising a sample processing module and a growth module; Maintaining the integrated fluid device in a closed state to prevent the entry of external microbial cells: Processing the sample within the sample processing module to separate the microbial cells from the sample and obtain a microbial cell suspension comprising the microbial cells suspended in a liquid; The steps include: transporting the microbial cell suspension from the sample processing module to the growth module so that the microbial cell suspension comes into contact with a solid-phase growth medium configured to promote microbial cell growth present in the growth module; The steps include: removing at least a portion of the liquid from the microbial cell suspension so that at least one microbial cell is retained on the surface of the solid-phase growth medium; A method comprising the step of incubating at least the growth module under conditions suitable for promoting colony growth. [2] The method according to [1], wherein at least a portion of the liquid is removed by absorption of at least a portion of the liquid by the solid-phase growth medium. [3] The method according to [2], wherein the liquid is a first liquid, the solid-phase growth medium is a gel-based medium, and the method further comprises the step of exposing the integrated fluid device to centrifugal force before contacting the microbial cell suspension with the solid-phase growth medium to remove a second liquid from the solid-phase growth medium, so that at least a portion of the first liquid is removed by absorption by the partially dehydrated solid-phase growth medium when the microbial cell suspension comes into contact with the partially dehydrated solid-phase growth medium, thereby obtaining the partially dehydrated solid-phase growth medium. [4] The method according to [3], wherein the centrifugal force is in the range of 1,000 g to 10,000 g. [5] The method according to [3] or [4], wherein the sample is processed in the sample processing module, the microbial cells are separated from the sample by a centrifugation-based separation method, and the centrifugal force is applied to the solid-phase growth medium during the centrifugation-based separation method. [6] The method according to any one of [3] to [5], wherein the centrifugal force is applied in a direction less than 30 degrees from the surface normal relating to the surface of the solid-phase growth medium. [7] The method according to any one of [3] to [5], wherein the centrifugal force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the solid-phase growth medium. [8] The method according to any one of [3] to [7], wherein the surface in contact with the microbial cell suspension is a first surface, and the solid-phase growth medium further comprises a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the centrifugal force is applied such that the second liquid is removed from a region adjacent to the second surface. [9] The method according to any one of [3] to [7], wherein the surface in contact with the microbial cell suspension is a first surface, the solid-phase growth medium further includes a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the centrifugal force is applied such that the first region of the solid-phase growth medium adjacent to the first surface is more dehydrated than the second region of the solid-phase growth medium adjacent to the second surface. [10] The method according to any one of [3] to [9], wherein the second liquid is absorbed by an absorbent material that is in fluid communication with the solid-phase growth medium. [11] The method according to [10], wherein the porous membrane is located between the solid-phase growth medium and the absorbent material. [12] The method according to any one of [3] to [11], wherein the centrifugal force is a first centrifugal force, and the method further comprises the step of exposing the integrated fluid device to a second centrifugal force after bringing the partially dehydrated solid growth medium into contact with the microbial cell suspension, thereby promoting the absorption of at least a portion of the liquid from the microbial cell suspension by the partially dehydrated solid growth medium and the retention of the at least one microbial cell on the surface. [13] The method according to [12],