KR-20260062566-A - APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EXAMINATION OF BACTERIAL CULTURE

KR20260062566AKR 20260062566 AKR20260062566 AKR 20260062566AKR-20260062566-A

Abstract

A bacterial culture inspection device according to one embodiment is for inspecting an observation area within a bacterial culture plate and comprises: a light source unit configured to irradiate light; a polarizer and an analyzer configured to be positioned with the bacterial culture plate in between; and an image detector for detecting light incident from the bacterial culture plate, and has a transmission mode in which light emitted from the light source unit is detected by the image detector without passing through the polarizer and the analyzer, and a polarization mode in which light emitted from the light source unit is detected by the image detector after passing through the polarizer and the analyzer.

Inventors

배수진
이대식

Assignees

한국전기연구원

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241029

Claims (10)

In a bacterial culture inspection device for inspecting an observation area within a bacterial culture plate, A light source unit configured to irradiate light; A polarizer and an analyzer configured to be positioned with a bacterial culture plate in between; and It includes an image detector that detects light incident from a bacterial culture plate, and A bacterial culture inspection device having a transmission mode in which light emitted from the light source unit is detected by the image detector without passing through the polarizer and analyzer, and a polarization mode in which light emitted from the light source unit is detected by the image detector after passing through the polarizer and analyzer.
In claim 1, A bacterial culture testing device configured such that the light source emits white light, blue light, green light, red light, or near-infrared light in the above transmission mode.
In claim 1, A bacterial culture testing device configured such that the light source selectively emits blue light and red light in the above polarization mode.
In claim 1, The above light source unit is a bacterial culture testing device comprising a light source, a collimator, and a beam homogenizer.
In claim 1, A bacterial culture testing device further comprising a motion controller for moving the bacterial culture plate in horizontal and vertical directions.
In claim 1, The above image detector detects images of the observation area in transmission mode and polarization mode, respectively, and A bacterial culture inspection device that generates a three-dimensional spatial distribution image of an observation area using images detected in the transmission mode and polarization mode.
In claim 6, A bacterial culture inspection device further comprising an image analysis processor that calculates turbidity for each pixel of an image of the above-mentioned observation area.
In claim 7, A bacterial culture testing device in which the above turbidity is proportional to the ratio of the intensity of polarized light ( IP ) to the intensity ratio of transmitted light ( IT ).
In claim 8, The above image detector is a bacterial culture inspection device configured to automatically detect time-lapse images in transmission mode and polarization mode according to the elapsed culture time.
In claim 1, A bacterial culture testing device further comprising a regulator for controlling bacterial growth conditions.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Examination of Bacterial Culture The present invention relates to a bacterial culture testing device and method, and more specifically, to a bacterial culture testing device and method capable of accurately and rapidly testing the bacterial culture process. As the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases increase, culturing bacteria or viruses for these diseases is important from a public health and epidemiological perspective, and the importance of finding rapid treatment methods along with rapid testing is growing even more. Observing, analyzing, and quantitatively evaluating morphological and metabolic changes in bacteria—including identification, drug susceptibility, ecotoxicity over time, and growth changes such as colonization, proliferation, survival, and death—is essential not only in microbial physiology but also in the field of epidemiological investigation. In particular, as the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria used to inhibit bacterial proliferation and growth increases, it is necessary to evaluate the drug resistance or susceptibility of pathogens to antibiotics in order to select appropriate antibiotics for treating infectious (bacterial) diseases, or to observe the response of pathogens to drugs over time, such as through bacterial culture-based antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a suitable antibiotic. Generally, to accurately quantitatively evaluate bacterial growth, a method is used to calculate the number of microorganisms using absorbance (optical density, OD), which is proportional to bacterial concentration. As the number of cells and bacterial density in a sample increase, the sample solution becomes cloudier and more turbid; as light scattering within the sample increases, the proportion of light passing through the sample and reaching the detector decreases. In other words, the amount of transmitted light is inversely proportional to the number of cells in the sample. Therefore, turbidimeters, such as absorbance microplate analyzers, can quantify the concentration of a sample by detecting photons absorbed or transmitted by the liquid sample present in the microplate using a photosensor (PMT, PD, etc.) detector and calculating the optical density (OD). Optical density is a useful indicator for confirming bacterial growth, but the reliability of the measurement can decrease if the transmittance is too low, and there is the inconvenience of having to dilute the bacteria if the concentration is high. Furthermore, quantification using optical density is a method that indirectly measures the substrate proportional to the number of bacteria, so it cannot distinguish between live and dead bacteria. In addition, turbidity values can vary due to factors such as changes in bacterial size, the formation of large and small colonies and biofilms, and the measurement location within the plate. Accordingly, a method of detecting at multiple locations within the plate and calculating the average is being used. On the other hand, conventional technology utilizing optical density has limitations in that it is impossible to observe the bacterial response to drugs, changes in bacterial concentration, or changes in bacterial motility in real time, and furthermore, since it does not directly count the number of bacteria or colonies, it is difficult to determine the accurate bacterial concentration. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bacterial culture testing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the shape of a beam passing through a collimator. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the shape of a beam passing through a beam homogenizer. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the acquisition of three-dimensional information using the synthesis of a transmission image and a polarization image. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing transmission images and polarization images over time. Figure 6 is a graph showing the change in the number of bacteria over time using transmission images and polarization images. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments described below are provided as examples to ensure that the concept of the present invention is sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and may be embodied in other forms. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals indicate the same components. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bacterial culture test device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a bacterial culture inspection device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is for inspecting an observation area with