The invention relates to a swab system including a sample tube, which is closed at the front end and open at the rear end, and a swab. The swab has an elongated tubular swab rod, wherein the swab rod is provided with a sample-gathering means at the front end of the swab rod and a gripping piece at the rear end of the swab rod. The gripping piece closes the rear open end of the sample tube in an accurately fitting manner and is equipped with a closing cap for covering the gripping piece in a sealed manner. The gripping piece has an internal taper of a Luer connection, wherein the internal taper of the Luer connection has a fluid connection to the tubular swab rod.

A picktool manipulator device collects a specimen from a culture medium. In a first mode of operation, a picktool is allowed to move in an axial direction relative to support structure of the device. A detector may generate a signal in response to movement of the body in the axial direction so as to determine a height at which the picktool contacts the medium. The device may operate in the first mode when collecting a specimen from a culture medium. A second mode of operation constrains or precludes axial movement of the picktool. In some cases, the device may operate in the second mode when receiving a new picktool or discarding a used picktool.

An apparatus for inoculating and streaking a solid growth culture medium in a plate, the streaking using a streaking applicator having a line of resiliently and flexibly supported spaced apart contact surfaces, the apparatus including: (a) an inoculating and streaking station including: a plate work position having a notional action line fixed in two dimensions (x,y) in a predetermined position; and a plate rotation device for rotating a positioned plate to cause streaking; (b) a sensor capable of locating the surface of the medium in a positioned plate to thereby determine for that plate, prior to inoculation and streaking of that plate, the third dimension (z) of the action line; (c) an inoculating device capable of dispensing inoculum, along the action line, on the surface of the medium in the positioned plate; and (d) a streaking device capable of moving the streaking applicator such that its line of spaced apart contact surfaces contacts, along the action line, the surface of the medium in the positioned plate, prior to rotation of the positioned plate for streaking.

A cell culture transferring instrument includes a cylindrical body held by an operator not shown in the drawing, a plunger inserted through the interior of the cylindrical body, a plurality of support members connected to a distal end of the plunger, and an adsorbent capable of adsorbing a sheet-shaped cell culture held by the support members. The support members in contact with the distal end of the cylindrical body are elastically deformed by displacing the plunger toward the proximal end side with respect to the cylindrical body in a state in which the sheet-shaped cell culture is adsorbed to the adsorbent, whereby the adsorbent and the sheet-shaped cell culture are deformed and housed in a housing hole in the cylindrical body.

This invention relates to a sampling device comprising a shaft and a sample collection portion removably connected with the shaft, wherein the connection site between the shaft and the sample collection portion is weakened. The invention relates also to a combination of a sampling device comprising a shaft and a removable sample collection portion and a sample vessel configured to receive sample collection portion from the shaft.

The present invention relates to a device for the identification of microorganisms, comprising: a) a carrier 1, wherein an absorbent material 2 is arranged on the carrier 1, b) at least one intermediate sealing layer 3, with at least one cut-out 4, which is designed to receive the microorganisms to be identified, these being present on a micropore filter 5, c) at least one nonwoven reaction fabric comprising an absorbent material 2 on which at least one absorption field 7 and/or at least one liquid-transporting structure 8 is arranged for the taking up of reagents to identify microorganisms, and d) a cover plate 9. Furthermore, a method for the identification of microorganisms is used in conjunction with the device according to the invention. With the present invention, microorganisms in a sample can be identified very quicklywithin a few minutes. In this, the test system is isolated from the environment, so avoiding danger to people and the environment from a positive test finding.

Inoculating systems/devices, methods for inoculating a target, and coating methods are disclosed. An example inoculating system may include an inoculating member having a transfer region and a handle region. A pre-determined quantity of viable microorganisms may be disposed on the transfer region. The inoculating member may be configured to transfer the pre-determined quantity of viable microorganisms to a target during an inoculation operation without having to rehydrate the pre-determined quantity of viable microorganisms prior to the inoculating operation.

Provided are methods and compositions for creating an arrayed library of cells. In particular, the methods and compositions provided herein improve the selection and transfer of cells by reducing contamination, increasing throughput, and improving consistency of transfer. Such methods and compositions include automated colony selection employing a solid barrier mounted on an automated apparatus for automatic handling of one or more pick tools. The solid barrier is configured to prevent undesired transfer of cells from a pick tool into the destination receptacle. Such methods and compositions also include acoustic transfer of cells in a high-density media by an acoustic liquid handler. The methods and compositions further include pooling the cells using a bitcode sample pooling scheme for high-throughput sequencing and deconvoluting the obtained nucleic acid sequences to identify the cells from which the sequences originated.

In a method for picking up cell material from a culture dish a picking tool is displaced towards the cell material. Contact between the tool and the cell material is determined by carrying out capacitive measurements. After contact the tool is removed from the cell material. In an assembly for performing said method a support made of electrically conducting material supports the dish. A measurement device determines the start electrical capacity of the system composed of picking tool and support in a starting position of the tool, and determines the electrical capacity of the system when lowering the tool towards the dish. The measurement device provides signals representing the electrical capacity to a controller, which comprises a comparator for performing a comparison of the electrical capacity during lowering of the tool with the start electrical capacity. The controller controls the positioning of the tool at least based on this comparison.

A separation container for extracting a portion of a sample for use or testing and method for preparing samples for downstream use or testing are provided. The separation container may include a body defining an internal chamber. The body may define an opening, and the body may be configured to receive the sample within the internal chamber. The separation container may further include a seal disposed across the opening, such that the seal may be configured to seal the opening of the body, and a plunger movably disposed at least partially inside the internal chamber. The plunger may be configured to be actuated to open the seal and express the portion of the sample.