Biomixture Capture Medium for Microbial Air Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air sampling methods for detecting microbial propagules, such as mold spores, are inefficient due to incompatibility with molecular techniques, requiring extensive sample preparation and lacking accuracy in detection and quantification.
Innovation Solution
A biomixture composed of purified water, a synthetic polymer, and connective tissue proteins is used to create a medium that allows for the accurate collection, identification, and quantification of microbial propagules, enabling compatibility with DNA diagnostics like PCR and QPCR, and facilitating on-site air analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current adhesive technologies are used for capturing microbial propagules, then sample collection is achieved, but compatibility with molecular techniques (DNA diagnostics) is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite capture medium consisting of nylon fabric coated with a matrix containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) and sucrose. This composite structure combines the mechanical properties of nylon with the biochemical properties of BSA and sucrose, creating a surface that both captures microbial propagules effectively and preserves their DNA integrity for subsequent molecular analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
Bovine serum albumin (BSA) acts as an intermediary substance between the nylon capture medium and the microbial propagules. The BSA coating modifies the surface properties of the nylon to enable effective capture of microbial cells while maintaining their biological integrity, serving as a mediating layer that facilitates both collection and molecular analysis.
2Measurement precision
If extensive sample preparation is performed for capturing and preserving samples, then detection accuracy is improved, but analysis time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The capture medium is pre-coated with bovine serum albumin and sucrose before sampling. This preliminary preparation ensures that when microbial propagules are collected, they are immediately stabilized in a matrix that preserves their DNA integrity, eliminating the need for extensive post-collection preparation steps and enabling faster analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the capture medium by incorporating specific concentrations of BSA (e.g., 10% w/v) and sucrose (e.g., 40% w/v). These parameter modifications create an optimized environment that simultaneously achieves high detection accuracy and rapid analysis by stabilizing samples without requiring additional preparation steps.
3Measurement precision
If current capture media are used, then microbial propagules can be collected, but identification precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nylon fabric coated with BSA-sucrose matrix creates a composite capture medium that simultaneously achieves high collection efficiency and precise identification. The BSA provides protein-based adhesion for capturing diverse microbial propagules, while the sucrose creates a stabilizing environment that preserves DNA integrity, enabling accurate molecular identification.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The biomixture effectively enhances the precision of microbial propagule detection and quantification, providing a tool for both identification and potential genetic manipulation, improving the accuracy and speed of analysis.
Implementation Method 1
Since connective tissue proteins bind to surface receptors it may be possible to design molecular tools to activate microbial cells
Implementation Method 2
a vacuum pump attachment for attaching a vacuum pump to the housing for drawing air through the capture matrix
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention generally relates to air sampling of biological compounds. Specifically, the present invention relates to a device and method for sampling the ambient air for detecting microbial propagules, microbial propagules being any spore, vegetative cell, or virion of microbiological origin including all bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans, molds, slime molds, chlamydospores, hyphae, and cysts.