| 摘要 |
Method, apparatus and automated system for determining the effects of a chemical agent upon a bacterial sample. Aliquots of a bacterial suspension in a culture medium, the chemical agent, and tritiated thymidine are deposited in polyethylene tubes having first and second compartments separated by a fixed millipore filter. A precipitation agent, such as trichloroacetic acid, is deposited into the polyethylene tubes to precipitate the bacteria. The bacteria is separated from the liquid by operation of a vacuum system which draws the liquid through the filter, thereby filtering out the bacteria. The filtered bacteria is subsequently washed with a washing solution. In one embodiment, a scintillation fluid is added to the bacteria, the bacteria then being conveyed to a scintillation counter which produces an output signal corresponding to the amount of radiation emanating from the bacteria. The amount of emanating radiation corresponds to the amount of tritiated thymidine which is incorporated into the bacteria, and hence is a measure of the rate of synthesis of DNA. In this manner, bacterial activity in the presence of a chemical agent is determined prior to a change in the bacterial population.
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