System and method for automatically venting and sampling a culture specimen container

Abstract

Apparatus for automated venting and/or sampling of a specimen container having a closure sealing the interior of the specimen container from the environment is disclosed. The apparatus includes a rack holding the specimen container; a venting and/or sampling device having a needle, a chamber in fluid communication with the needle and a port in fluid communication with the chamber; a robotic transfer mechanism movable relative to the rack; a sample removal apparatus attached to the robotic transfer mechanism having gripping features for gripping the venting device. The sample removal apparatus and robotic transfer mechanism are movable relative to the specimen container so as to automatically insert the needle of the venting device through the closure of the specimen container to thereby vent the interior of the specimen container and obtain equilibrium between the interior of the specimen container and the atmosphere and withdraw a portion of the sample from the specimen container into the venting and/or sampling device.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . An automated method for sampling a specimen container in the form of a bottle having a closure sealing the interior of the specimen container from the environment, comprising the steps of:
 (a) holding the bottle in a rack;   (b) automatically and with the aid of robotic apparatus grasping a sampling device having a needle, a chamber connected to the needle and a port connected to the chamber;   (c) automatically moving the robotic apparatus so as to place the sampling device in a position proximate to the bottle in the rack;   (d) automatically inserting the needle of the sampling device through the closure so as to place the needle into the interior of the bottle; and   (e) moving the rack so as to place the bottle into a downward orientation and drawing a portion of a sample contained in the bottle into the chamber of the sampling device.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising the step of loading the sampling device with a selective lytic agent prior to the step of inserting the needle of the sampling device through the closure. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising performing the steps of  claim 22  on a second bottle in the rack. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising the step of injecting some or all of the portion of the sample within the sampling device into a disposable separation device. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step of centrifuging the separation device to separate and concentrate a microbial agent within the separation device. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising the step of lysing cellular components of the sample within the disposable sampling device. 
     
     
         28 . An automated method for sampling a specimen container in the form of a bottle having a closure sealing the interior of the specimen container from the environment, comprising the steps of:
 (a) holding a bottle in a rack;   (b) providing a plurality of sampling devices each of the plurality of sampling devices having a needle, a chamber connected to the needle and a port connected to the chamber;   (c) automatically moving a robotic transfer mechanism comprising a pneumatic system further comprising a pump located on the robotic transfer mechanism and a sample removal apparatus comprising gripping features for gripping the sampling devices to grasp one of the plurality of sampling devices;   (d) automatically moving the robotic apparatus so as to place the one of the plurality of sampling devices in a position proximate to the bottle in the rack;   (e) connecting a first end of a first tube to the pump and a second end of the first tube to the port of the one of the plurality of sampling devices and connecting a first end of a second tube to the pump and a second end of the second tube to the gripping features;   (f) automatically inserting the needle of the one of the plurality of sampling devices through the closure so as to place the needle into the interior of the bottle, and   (g) applying a vacuum to the port of the one of the plurality of sampling devices so as to draw a portion of a sample contained in the bottle into the one of the plurality of sampling devices.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising the step of moving the rack so as to place the bottle into an downward orientation and performing the automatic inserting step while the bottle is in the downward orientation. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising the steps of:
 moving the rack so as to place the bottle into an upward orientation; and wherein the step of automatically inserting the needle of the one of the plurality of sampling devices is performed while the bottle is in the upward orientation;   venting the bottle to atmosphere prior to the step of applying vacuum to the port of the one of the plurality of sampling devices.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising the step of loading the plurality of sampling devices with a selective lytic agent prior to the step of inserting the needle of the sampling device through the closure of the bottle. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising the steps of injecting some or all of the portion of the sample within the one of the plurality of sampling devices into a disposable separation device and centrifuging the separation device to separate and concentrate a microbial agent within the separation device. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising the step of lysing cellular components of the sample within the one of the plurality of sampling devices.