Device can transfer metabolites or inhibitory agents to broth cultures of bacteria, in various stages of growth, for study. It also has application in transfer of other micro-organisms, such as yeasts, and could be useful in clinical and research laboratories. Device has been used for wide variety of purposes in experimental situations

Mills, S. M.

Wilkins, J. R.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Connecting 
Tube 
Solid 
Glass 
Rod
Catch	 Solenoid 
i\ 
Tilting	 Platform 
Platform	 Stop 
X
 law-
August 1973	 B73-10229 
• NASA TECH BRIEF 
Langley Research Center
	 W 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C.20546. 
Automatic Microbial Transfer 
A device for automatically transferring a known 
volume of bacterial culture from one test tube to 
another, under sterile conditions, is now being used at 
Langley Research Center. It can perform such a trans-
fer without human involvement, during non-working 
hours, as overnight or on weekends. 
The device can be used to automatically transfer 
metabolites or inhibitory agents to broth cultures of 
bacteria, in various stages of growth, for study. It also 
has application in the transfer of other micro-
organisms, such as yeasts, and could be useful in 
clinical and research laboratories. 
The components of the transfer device are shown in 
the illustration. Two conventional test tubes, con-
nected near the top with an open tube, are 
strengthened with a solid glass rod near the bottom.
One holds the bacterial culture which will be trans-
ferred to the other tube. The connected tubes are 
placed in a tilting device consisting of a tilting plat-
form which is connected at two pivot points and con-
tains holes to receive the tubes; a catch attached to a 
solenoid to release the platform when operated; a 
weight which then forces the platform to tilt; a spring 
which returns the platform to its original position; and 
a stop which prevents back tilting of the platform. A 
timer, attached to the solenoid, releases the catch and 
permits the tubes to tilt at a pie-set time. 
With one of the connected tubes filled with 20 ml 
of inoculated nutrient broth and the other tube filled 
with 9 ml of sterile nutrient broth, the tubes are 
positioned in the transfer device as shown. The 
solenoid releases the catch when signalled by the timer,
 
use 
OJT 
1he This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National	 Government assumes any liability resultin	 ie Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States
	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
	 will be free from privately owned rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19730000229 2020-03-17T07:16:19+00:00Z
and the weight pulls the tilting platform downward 
and allows approximately 1.0 ml (range of 0.9 to 1.0 
ml) of inoculated broth to flow through the con-
necting tube into the nutrient broth tube. The spring 
returns the platform to its original position. 
This device has been used for a wide variety of 
purposes in a number of experimental situations. In one 
situation it was used to automatically transfer bacterial 
cells to a sterile broth during the night so that the cells 
were at an optimum stage of growth for experiments 
to be conducted at the start of the next working day. 
Note: 
Requests for further information may be directed 
to:
Technology Utilization Officer 
Langley Research Center 
Mail Stop 139-A 
Hampton, Virginia 23665 
Reference: B73-10229
Patent status: 
Inquiries concerning rights for the commercial use 
of this invention should be addressed to: 
Patent Counsel 
Langley Research Center 
Code 456 
Hampton, Virginia 23665 
Source: Judd R. Wilkins and Stacey M. Mills 
Langley Research Center
(LAR-113 54) 
B73-10229	 Category 05


Automatic microbial transfer

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