System for autonomous monitoring of bioagents

Abstract

An autonomous monitoring apparatus for monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents. A collector gathers a quantity of the air, water, soil, or other substance being monitored. A sample preparation system prepares a sample of the selected potential bioagent particles. The sample is analyzed by a system for detecting said bioagents.

1 . An autonomous monitoring apparatus for monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents that could be in potential bioagent particles, comprising: 
 collector means for gathering said air, water, soil, or other substance being monitored, said collector separating the potential bioagent particles from said air, water, soil, or other substance;    sample preparation means for preparing a sample of the potential bioagent particles, said sample preparation means operatively connected to said collector means for preparing said sample from said air, water, soil, or other substance gathered by said collector;    detector means for detecting said bioagents in said sample, said detector means comprising a liquid-array based multiplex immunoassay detector and a multiplex PCR detector.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said sample preparation means is a means for providing an immunoassay sample.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said means for providing an immunoassay sample is a multiplex immunoassay detector that utilizes optically encoded microbeads.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said sample preparation means is a means for providing a nucleic acid assay sample.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said multiplex PCR detector is a real time PCR detector.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said multiplex PCR detector includes means for performing PCR amplification.  
     
     
         7 . An autonomous monitoring apparatus for monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents, the bioagents potentially being in potential bioagent particles within the air, water, soil, or other substance, comprising: 
 a collector for gathering said air, water, soil, or other substance being monitored, said collector separating selected potential bioagent particles from said air, water, soil, or other substance;    a wash assay sample preparation system for preparing a sample of said selected potential bioagent particles, said wash assay sample preparation system operatively connected to said collector for preparing said sample from said air, water, soil, or other substance gathered by said collector; said wash assay sample preparation system including optically-encoded beads, a number of reagents, and a washing buffer; and    a detector for detecting the bioagents in said sample, said detector operatively connected to said sample preparation system.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said reagents include detector antibodies.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said reagents include fluorescent reporters.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said wash assay sample preparation system includes a filter.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said wash assay sample preparation system includes a filter and optically-encoded beads.  
     
     
         12 . An autonomous monitoring apparatus for monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents, the bioagents potentially being in potential bioagent particles within the air, water, soil, or other substance, comprising: 
 a collector for gathering said air, water, soil, or other substance being monitored, said collector separating selected potential bioagent particles from said air, water, soil, or other substance;    a no-wash assay sample preparation system for preparing a sample of said selected potential bioagent particles, said no-wash assay sample preparation system operatively connected to said collector for preparing said sample from said air, water, soil, or other substance gathered by said collector; said no-wash assay sample preparation system including optically-encoded beads and a number of reagents; and    a detector for detecting the bioagents in said sample, said detector operatively connected to said sample preparation system.    
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for sampling air and collecting sample particles of a predetermined particle size range from said air for monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents, the bioagents potentially being in potential bioagent particles within the air, water, soil, or other substance, comprising: 
 a low pass section having an opening for gathering said air,    a pre-screen unit positioned in said opening that prevents large particles from blocking said opening,    an impactor section operatively connected to said low pass section, said impactor section receiving said air and separating said air into a bypass air flow that does not contain said sample particles and a product air flow that contains said sample particles, and    a sample preparation system for preparing a sample of the potential bioagent particles, said sample preparation system operatively connected to said impactor section for preparing said sample; and    a detector for detecting the bioagents in said sample, said detector operatively connected to said sample preparation system.    
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said opening in said low pass section size is a slot and said pre-screen unit is a grill positioned in said opening.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said opening in said low pass section size is a slot and said pre-screen unit is a screen positioned in said opening.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said opening in said low pass section size is an annular slot and said pre-screen unit is an annular screen positioned in said opening.  
     
     
         17 . A method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents, said air, water, soil, or other substance containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes, comprising the steps of: 
 gathering said air, water, soil, or other substance containing potential bioagent particles of various sizes;    separating said potential bioagent particles by size and collecting said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents; and    detecting said bioagents in said potential bioagent particles of a size range that are likely to contain said bioagents, said step of detecting said bioagents comprising mixing optically encoded microbeads with said potential bioagent particles and detecting said bioagents with said optically encoded microbeads.    
     
     
         18 . The method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents of  claim 17  wherein said step of detecting said bioagents comprises exposing said microbeads to said air, water, soil, or other substance; depositing said microbeads on a filter; exposing said microbeads to a washing buffer, and releasing said microbeads to a detector.  
     
     
         19 . The method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents of  claim 17  wherein said washing buffer comprises buffer solutions.  
     
     
         20 . The method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents of  claim 18  wherein steps following releasing said microbeads to a detector includes using cleaning reagents for reconditioning said filter.  
     
     
         21 . The method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents of  claim 20  wherein said cleaning reagents include bleach.  
     
     
         22 . The method of monitoring air, water, soil, or other substance for bioagents of  claim 20  wherein said cleaning reagents include morpholine propane sulfonic acid (MOPS) citrate buffer.