METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING AND MONITORING THE PRESENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND PROPAGATION OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS, IN PARTICULAR BACTERIA AND VIRUSES

Abstract

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING AND MONITORING THE PRESENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND PROPAGATION OF INFECTIOUS AGENTS, IN PARTICULAR BACTERIA AND VIRUSES The invention relates to a method for detecting and monitoring the presence, development and propagation of at least one infectious agent such as a bacterium or a virus, remarkable in that it comprises the following steps: - Subdividing the given geographical area into surface cells, - Determining and identifying in each surface cell the points of presence, passage or frequentation by human and / or animal species likely to be infected by the infectious agent or by human and / or animal species likely to be hosts of said infectious agent, - Installing at each point identified in each surface cell an autonomous device (D) for detection by analysis and identification of the infectious agent present in the environment surrounding the device (D).The invention also relates to a device (D) for implementing said method. Figure for abstract: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING AND MONITORING THE PRESENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND PROPAGATION OF AGENTS INFECTIOUS, INCLUDING BACTERIA AND VIRUSES

[0001] FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to the field of the detection of infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses present in an environment and in particular to the adaptations making it possible to implement this detection under the best conditions.

[0003] DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0004] There are a number of tests available to detect and identify bacteria or viruses. However, in most cases, these tests on patients are carried out once the outbreak has been identified (these patients can be monitored).

[0005] Furthermore, once the epidemic is observed, the detection of its presence and its monitoring depend on the monitoring of new or existing patients.

[0006] Once the epidemic has been identified, there are ways of remotely taking the temperature of patients who can be geolocated and tracked by telephone to allow health authorities to treat them and prevent the rest of the population from coming into contact with them. This type of monitoring can pose a problem in terms of its legal application. In addition, it does not allow the presence of the virus to be monitored in the absence of a detected patient. Thus, a healthy carrier or one not showing the desired symptom (in this case, temperature) or the absence of a patient (due to a containment measure) are all cases which do not allow for good monitoring of the epidemic.

[0007] Furthermore, it does not solve the problem of detecting and tracking the bacteria or virus before the epidemic occurs or at its very beginning.

[0008] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Based on this state of affairs, the applicants carried out research aimed at:

[0010] - detect the presence, development and spread of infectious agents such as viruses and / or bacteria present in microdroplets of liquid (emitted by human and / or animal species infected by the viruses and / or bacteria or by human and / or animal species host to these viruses and / or bacteria) suspended in the air at a given point on a given geographical area,

[0011] - monitor the spread of viruses and / or bacteria present in microdroplets of liquid suspended in the air at different given points on a given geographical surface,

[0012] - avoid conducting infection tests on every individual of the human species and / or animal,

[0013] - detect as early as possible the appearance of a virus and / or bacteria infection responsible for epidemics and pandemics.

[0014] This research has resulted in a method for detecting and monitoring the presence, development and propagation of at least one infectious agent such as a bacterium or a virus, remarkable in that it comprises the following steps:

[0015] - Subdivide the given geographic area into surface cells,

[0016] - Determine and identify in each surface cell the points of presence, of passage or frequentation by human and / or animal species likely to be infected by the infectious agent or by human and / or animal species likely to be hosts of said infectious agent,

[0017] - Install at each point identified in each surface cell a device autonomous detection by analysis and identification of the infectious agent present in the environment surrounding the device.

[0018] The invention is particularly advantageous in that it proposes to predispose on the territory devices, terminals, stations or probes for detecting infectious agents (bacteria and / or viruses) which are equipped with suitable means of detection, identification and analysis. These means analyze the environment, the fluid at the identified points.

[0019] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic, said medium is air or water. When the medium, the fluid analyzed is water, the latter can be water from one of the following environments: River, lake, ocean, stream, sea, water tables, rain, wells, etc.

[0020] It is not the identified patients who are monitored but the presence of the infectious agent in the air. The latter can therefore be detected before the epidemic is declared. In addition, it can be detected and monitored despite the presence of asymptomatic patients or despite the absence of a patient to be monitored due to a containment measure.

[0021] The invention also has the great advantage of not posing any legal problems in its implementation.

[0022] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the method applies to an infectious agent which is indifferently:

[0023] - alone suspended in the air,

[0024] - adsorbed on solid particles suspended in the air,

[0025] - adsorbed on chemical molecules suspended in the air,

[0026] - present in chemical molecules emitted into the air by human species and / or animals,

[0027] - present in liquid particles suspended in the air.

[0028] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the analysis and identification of the infectious agent are carried out by one or more of the following methods:

[0029] - RT-PCR method,

[0030] - method for searching for antibodies specific to each virus and / or each bacterium,

[0031] - meta-genomic method (Immunoassay) i.e. a research method of nucleic acid specific to each virus and / or each bacterium.

[0032] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the method comprises a step of suctioning the environment surrounding the autonomous device towards the interior of the device. It is the air surrounding the device which is sucked in, if the device is installed on land.

[0033] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the suction of the environment surrounding the autonomous detection device is carried out at fixed time intervals.

[0034] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the suction of the environment surrounding the autonomous detection device is carried out at variable time intervals and as a function of the frequency of each point of installation of the device.

[0035] According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the method consists of analyzing the microdroplets suspended in the air at the identified points emitted by human and / or animal species likely to be infected by the infectious agent or by human and / or animal species likely to be hosts of said infectious agent.

[0036] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the method applies to at least one of the following infectious agents and the device making it possible to implement said method is equipped for the detection of at least one of the following infectious agents:

[0037] - Ebola virus.

[0038] - virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease.

[0039] - virus responsible for any epidemic and / or any pandemic.

[0040] - bacteria responsible for any epidemic and / or any pandemic.

[0041] The invention also relates to the device for implementing the method described above, which autonomous device is remarkable in that it comprises:

[0042] - Means for extracting air,

[0043] - Means and reagents for extracting the infectious agent or the genome of the agent infectious or specific substances and proteins of the infectious agent extracted from the air,

[0044] - Means of transmitting the results by wireless or wired connection extraction of the infectious agent.

[0045] According to another characteristic of the invention, the device only comprises the extraction means, the analysis and identification of the infectious agent being carried out afterwards in a specialized laboratory.

[0046] According to another characteristic of the invention, the device comprises means for analyzing and identifying the extracted infectious agent.

[0047] According to another characteristic of the invention, the device comprises means for recording and storing the results of analysis and identification of viruses and / or bacteria.

[0048] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the extraction of the air is carried out by suction of the air surrounding the autonomous detection device using an air pump, which suction of air is followed by filtration of the air.

[0049] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the air filtration is carried out according to at least one of the following means:

[0050] - filtration of the sucked air on an absorbent membrane,

[0051] - filtration of the air sucked in on an absorbent membrane of the microdroplets present in the air,

[0052] - filtration of the sucked air on a repellent membrane,

[0053] - filtration on any type of membrane

[0054] - filtration of the sucked air on a membrane repelling microdroplets in suspension in the aspirated air and followed by recovery in liquid form of these microdroplets.

[0055] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the membrane is soluble in the reagent(s) used to isolate or purify the infectious agent(s) or their genome or their characteristic substances or proteins.

[0056] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the extraction of the microdroplets by air suction is followed by condensation followed by recovery of the condensates.

[0057] This condensation is, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, carried out by means of cryogenic cooling of the sucked air implemented by an electric cooling module.

[0058] According to another characteristic of the invention, the device comprises a sensor for detecting the passage or presence of human or animal species making it possible to trigger the suction.

[0059] According to another characteristic of the invention, the autonomous device comprises one or more disinfection means selected from the following list:

[0060] - physical means of generating heat;

[0061] - physical means of generating UV;

[0062] - chemical reagents allowing the circuit to be disinfected between each analysis extraction and identification of the infectious agent.

[0063] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the autonomous device comprises reagents neutralizing the disinfection reagents between each analysis.

[0064] According to another characteristic of the invention, to increase the operating autonomy of the device and also to avoid contamination of the different analysis samples, the autonomous device comprises several independent infectious agent extraction cartridges, which cartridges are mounted in parallel with isolation means making it possible to isolate each cartridge upstream and downstream and with a single cartridge or a limited number of cartridges being able to operate simultaneously.

[0065] According to one embodiment, all of the cartridges are connected upstream and before the means for isolating each cartridge to the outlet of a single pump for suctioning microdroplets or aerosols containing infectious agents.

[0066] According to a variant, all of the cartridges are connected downstream and after the means for isolating each cartridge to the inlet of a single pump for suctioning air containing microdroplets or aerosols likely to contain infectious agents.

[0067] According to another characteristic of the invention, to increase the operating autonomy of the device and also to avoid contamination of the different analysis samples, the autonomous device comprises several independent circuits mounted in parallel and each comprising a means for extracting infectious agent from viruses and / or bacteria and means for analyzing and identifying the infectious agent, which circuits are mounted in parallel with means making it possible to isolate each circuit upstream and downstream.

[0068] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the autonomous device is supplied with electrical energy via one or more of the following supply means:

[0069] - public electricity supply network,

[0070] - autonomous battery,

[0071] - solar panel,

[0072] - wind turbine.

[0073] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the autonomous device is installed at a height relative to the ground of between 0 m (on the ground) and 2.5 m (maximum height of a human being).

[0074] According to another characteristic of the invention, the device comprises geolocation means.

[0075] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the device comprises an enclosure containing all or part of the means described above and closed by walls pierced with orifices allowing the passage inside of the surrounding air by suction.

[0076] According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the monitoring of the propagation of at least one infectious agent present in the air at different given points of a given geographical area is done by a reverse location search method. That is to say that a user of the method can know, without knowing the name of the location, at what location and in what quantity an infectious agent is detected.

[0077] Which reverse search method is characterized by the fact that it combines:

[0078] - artificial intelligence embedded in a terminal (smartphones, PCs, tablets, vehicle on-board computer) to analyze, interpret and locally process the user's clearly expressed wishes and desires,

[0079] - instantaneous data from the devices which autonomous devices are distributed over the Earth's surface and inform of the presence of the infectious agent in each place on the Earth,

[0080] - data from other sources and associated with each location on the globe,

[0081] - one or more servers connected by digital links (satellites, 5G, 4G, LTE, cable, optical fiber, low-speed networks, high-speed networks, IoT networks, etc.) to terminals and autonomous devices,

[0082] Thus, a user searching for a place can define as search parameters medical criteria or the presence of one or more infectious agents. The method allows him, thanks to the autonomous devices, to provide the data corresponding to this search parameter.

[0083] The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been set out above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving by way of non-limiting examples, an embodiment of a device in accordance with the invention. Brief description of the drawings

[0084] [Fig.l] is a schematic drawing of an embodiment of a stand-alone device for detecting and identifying viruses and bacteria in accordance with the invention;

[0085] [Fig.2] is a schematic drawing of the device of [Fig.l] installed in nature;

[0086] [Fig.3] is a schematic drawing of the device of [Fig.l] installed in a medium urban.

[0087] DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

[0088] As illustrated by [Fig.l], the device in the form of an autonomous terminal for detecting and identifying viruses and / or bacteria is referenced D as a whole. It comprises a cubic-shaped housing 100 whose faces are provided with slots 101. This housing 100 is mounted at the end of a post 110.

[0089] The various means of suction, detection, etc. of the viruses and / or bacteria of the device D are arranged in the housing 100. The suction means suck in the air close to the device D (arrows F) and in particular the droplets G emitted by the person P. Once the viruses or bacteria have been detected, the device D transmits the information.

[0090] [Fig.2] illustrates a situation where the device D is installed in a forest environment and regularly sucks up, or once a presence is detected, the droplets G' (or aerosols) emitted by the animals A.

[0091] [Fig.3] illustrates a situation where the device D is installed in an urban environment, that is to say here on a sidewalk 200 near roadways 300. The device D sucks in the air near its location and therefore the droplets G emitted by the people P walking nearby or those present on inert supports nearby.

[0092] It is understood that the devices which have just been described and represented above have been done so with a view to disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the above examples, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for detecting and monitoring the presence, development and propagation of at least one infectious agent such as a bacterium or a virus, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises the following steps: - Subdividing the given geographical area into surface cells, - Determining and identifying in each surface cell the points of presence, passage or frequentation by human and / or animal species likely to be infected by the infectious agent or by human and / or animal species likely to be hosts of said infectious agent, - Installing at each point identified in each surface cell an autonomous device (D) for detection by analysis and identification of the infectious agent present in the environment surrounding the device (D).

2. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said medium is air or water.

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it applies to an infectious agent which is indifferently: - alone suspended in the air, - adsorbed on solid particles suspended in the air, - adsorbed on chemical molecules suspended in the air, - present in chemical molecules emitted into the air by human and / or animal species, - present in liquid particles suspended in the air.

4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the analysis and identification of the infectious agent are carried out by one or more of the following methods: - RT-PCR method, - method of searching for antibodies specific to each virus and / or each bacterium, - meta-genomic method (Immunoassay) i.e. a method of searching for nucleic acid specific to each virus and / or each bacterium.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises a suction step from the environment surrounding the autonomous device (D) towards the interior of the device (D).

6. Method according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the suction of the environment surrounding the autonomous detection device (D) is carried out at fixed time intervals.

7. Method according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the suction of the environment surrounding the autonomous detection device (D) is carried out at variable time intervals and according to the frequency of each point of installation of the device (D).

8. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it consists of analyzing the microdroplets suspended in the air at the identified points emitted by human and / or animal species likely to be infected by the infectious agent or by human and / or animal species likely to be hosts of said infectious agent.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it applies to at least one of the following infectious agents and the device (D) for implementing said method is equipped for the detection of at least one of the following infectious agents: - Ebola virus. - virus responsible for the disease COVID-19. - virus responsible for any epidemic and / or any pandemic. - bacteria responsible for any epidemic and / or any pandemic.

10. Device (D) for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises: - Means for extracting the medium, the medium being air, the extraction of the air being carried out by suction of the air surrounding the autonomous device (D) using an air pump, which suction of air is followed by filtration of the air, - Means and reagents for extracting the infectious agent or the genome of the infectious agent or the substances and proteins specific to the infectious agent extracted from the medium, - Means for transmitting by wireless link or by wired link the results of extraction of the infectious agent.

11. Device (D) according to claim 10, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises means for analyzing and identifying the extracted infectious agent.

12. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 11, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises means for recording and storing the results of analysis and identification of viruses and / or bacteria.

13. Device (D) according to claim 10, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the filtration of the air is carried out according to at least one of the following means: - filtration of the air sucked in on an absorbent membrane, - filtration of the air sucked in on an absorbent membrane of the microdroplets present in the air, - filtration of the air sucked in on a repellent membrane, - filtration of the air sucked in on a repellent membrane of the microdroplets suspended in the air sucked in and followed by recovery in liquid form of these microdroplets.

14. Device (D) according to claim 13, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the membrane is soluble in the reagent(s) used to isolate or purify the infectious agent(s) or their genome or their characteristic substances or proteins.

15. Device (D) according to claim 13, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT when the microdroplets are filtered, the extraction of the microdroplets by air suction is followed by condensation followed by recovery of the condensates.

16. Device (D) according to claim 15, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the condensation is carried out by means of cryogenic cooling of the sucked air implemented by an electric cooling module.

17. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 16, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises a sensor for detecting the passage or presence of human or animal species making it possible to trigger the suction.

18. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 17, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises one or more disinfection means selected from the following list: - physical means for generating heat; - physical means for generating UV - chemical reagents to disinfect the infectious agent extraction and identification circuit between each analysis.

19. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 18, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises reagents neutralizing the disinfection reagents between each analysis.

20. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 19, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises several independent infectious agent extraction cartridges, which cartridges are mounted in parallel with isolation means making it possible to isolate each cartridge upstream and downstream and with a single cartridge or a limited number of cartridges being able to operate simultaneously.

21. Device (D) according to claim 20, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT all of the cartridges are connected upstream and before the means for isolating each cartridge to the outlet of a single suction pump for microdroplets or aerosols likely to contain infectious agents.

22. Device (D) according to claim 20, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the set of cartridges is connected downstream and after the means for isolating each cartridge to the inlet of a single pump for suctioning microdroplets or aerosols containing bacteria and / or viruses.

23. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 22, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises several independent circuits mounted in parallel and each comprising a means for extracting an infectious agent and means for analyzing and identifying the infectious agent, which circuits are mounted in parallel with means making it possible to isolate each circuit upstream and downstream.

24. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 23, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it is configured to be supplied with electrical energy via one or more of the following supply means: - public electricity supply network, - autonomous battery, - solar panel, - wind turbine.

25. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 24, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it is configured to be installed at a height relative to the ground of between 0 m (on the ground) and 2.5 m (maximum height of the human being).

26. Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 25, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises geolocation means.

27. ​​Device (D) according to any one of claims 10 to 26, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises an enclosure containing the means described according to any one of claims 10 to 26 and closed by walls pierced with orifices allowing the passage inside by suction of the surrounding air.

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