JP2008173045A - System for judging microorganism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for judging microorganisms, designed to enable a predetermined amount of test water to be reserved in a culture vessel by a simple scheme. <P>SOLUTION: The system for judging microorganisms includes the culture vessel 4 comprising a main body 16, a first connective port 17 provided on the top end of the main body 16 and connected with a first flow channel 2 via which test water, sterilizing liquid and washing water are selectively fed, a second connective port 18 provided on the bottom end of the main body 16 and connected with a second flow channel 3, and a third connective port 21 provided on the upper part of the main body 16 and connected with a third flow channel 20 for overflowing use. This system also includes valves 7 and 45 provided respectively on the second flow channel 3 and the third flow channel 20 and a controller 9 functioning to feed test water via the first flow channel 2 to the main body 16 with the valve 7 on the flow channel 3 closed and overflow the test water in the main body 16 via the third flow channel 20 by opening the valve 45 to effect reserving a predetermined amount of the test water in the culture vessel 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining fungi such as coliforms.

  The applicant of the present invention has proposed a fungus determination apparatus in Patent Document 1 or the like that can automatically determine the presence or absence of coliform bacteria in the water under test based on the specific enzyme substrate medium method.

  In the fungus determination apparatus described in Patent Document 1, water to be tested is supplied to a culture vessel by a pump through a water supply path to be tested.

JP 2004-229655 A

  According to the method described in Patent Document 1, in order to supply a predetermined amount of water to be tested to the culture vessel, it is necessary to accurately control a pump and a solenoid valve. It is difficult to supply. In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to provide a water level sensor in the culture container, or to provide another culture container and another container whose water storage amount can be adjusted.

  A main problem to be solved by the present invention is to enable a predetermined amount of water to be tested to be stored in a culture vessel with a simple configuration.

  This invention was made in order to solve the said subject, Comprising: The invention of Claim 1 is a fungi determination apparatus provided with the culture container which culture | cultivates the fungi in test water, Comprising: A main body, a first connection port provided at an upper end of the main body and selectively connected to a first flow path for supplying water to be tested, sterilizing liquid, and washing water; and a first connection port provided at a lower end of the main body. A second connection port to which two flow paths are connected, and a third connection port provided at an upper portion of the main body portion to which a third flow path for overflow is connected, the second flow path and the third flow Supply water to be tested from the first flow path to the main body in a state in which the valves provided in the passages and the second flow path are closed, and open the third flow path valves in the main body. By allowing the water to be tested to overflow from the third flow path, a predetermined amount in the main body is obtained. It is characterized in that a control means for storing the test water.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a predetermined amount of water to be tested can be accurately stored in the culture vessel without providing a water level sensor or the like.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in claim 1, a medium supply port is provided which is connected to a medium supply means provided at the upper part of the main body part and capable of supplying a fixed amount of medium.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, water to be tested containing a medium with a predetermined concentration can be easily stored in the culture vessel. Moreover, since an air layer is formed in the upper layer part of the said culture container, there exists an effect that discoloration which determines the presence or absence of fungi by this air layer is attained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the second flow path and the third flow path are configured by elastic tubes, and each of the valves is a pinch valve. In the state where the valves of the second flow path and the third flow path are closed, the sterilizing liquid or the cleaning liquid is supplied from the first flow path to the main body to fill the main body with the sterilizing liquid or the cleaning liquid. Each valve of said 2nd flow path and said 3rd flow path is opened, and the disinfection liquid or the washing | cleaning liquid in the said main-body part is discharged | emitted from said 2nd flow path and said 3rd flow path.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the sterilization and cleaning of the second flow path, the third flow path and the respective valves are ensured. And there is an effect that it can be easily performed.

  According to this invention, there exists an effect that an apparatus structure can be simplified.

  The embodiment of the present invention is applied to a fungus determination apparatus for determining the presence or absence of fungi such as coliform bacteria or E. coli.

  This embodiment is a fungus determination apparatus including a culture container for culturing fungi in test water, and the culture container is provided with a main body part and an upper end of the main body part, test water, sterilizing liquid, and washing A first connection port to which a first flow path for selectively supplying water is connected; a second connection port provided at a lower end of the main body portion to which a second flow path is connected; and provided at an upper portion of the main body portion. A third connection port to which a third flow path for overflow is connected, a valve provided in each of the second flow path and the third flow path, and the valve of the second flow path in a closed state By supplying water to be tested from the first flow path to the main body, and opening the valve of the third flow path to overflow the water to be tested in the main body from the third flow path, a predetermined amount in the main body And a control means for storing the water to be tested.

  In this embodiment, in order to store a predetermined amount of water to be tested in the culture vessel for the culture process, the control means closes the valve of the second flow path and the first flow path The water to be tested is supplied to the main body from the above, and in the state where the water to be tested in the culture vessel exceeds the third connection port, the valve of the third flow path is opened and the valve of the second flow path is closed. Then, the water to be tested in the main body is caused to overflow from the third flow path. As a result, the water to be tested is stored in the culture vessel up to the height of the lower end of the opening to the main body of the third connection port.

  Here, each component of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The culture container is a container for culturing fungi in the water under test by mixing a medium with the water under test. This container preferably includes heating means such as a heater for heating the outer peripheral surface of the culture container in order to heat and keep the water to be tested at a temperature suitable for culture. This heating means preferably has a function of heat sterilization in order to make the water to be tested after the culturing process harmless. The culture vessel is formed of a heat-resistant and bactericidal agent-resistant material so that it can withstand the heating by the heating means and is not altered by the bactericidal agent.

  Further, the main body preferably has an inner surface shape in which the sterilizing liquid and the cleaning water flowing from the first connection port to the second connection port flow along the entire inner surface. For example, the upper end portion and the lower end portion are hemispherical (can be referred to as a dome shape), and the intermediate portion is cylindrical. By adopting such a shape, the entire inner peripheral surface of the culture vessel can be uniformly sterilized and washed.

The first channel is a passage for selectively supplying water to be tested, sterilizing solution, and washing solution to the culture vessel, and its lower end is detachably connected to the first connection port. The upper end of the second channel is detachably connected to the second connection port, and one end of the third channel is detachably connected to the third connection port.

  Here, the connection port is provided on the main body portion and is configured as a projecting end portion having a diameter matched to the diameter of these end portions so that the end portions of the respective flow paths can be easily inserted and removed. It is.

  With such a configuration, when the first flow path, the second flow path, and the third flow path are used as consumable parts that are consumed by being repeatedly opened and pinched by a pinch valve, it is easy to replace these flow paths. Yes.

  In this embodiment, it is preferable that a predetermined amount of water to be tested be stored in the culture vessel, and then a predetermined amount of medium is supplied. That is, after storing a predetermined amount of test water in the culture vessel (performing the overflow), a predetermined amount of medium is supplied from the culture medium supply means to the test water in the culture vessel. To produce water to be tested. By making the culture medium supply means a discharge device capable of quantitative discharge of the culture medium, the function of mixing the water to be tested and the culture medium at a predetermined ratio can be realized with a simple configuration. The medium supply means capable of quantitative discharge is preferably configured in the same manner as the disinfectant supply means capable of quantitative discharge described later. The culture medium supply means is detachably connected to a culture medium supply port formed in the same manner as the first connection port to the third connection port located above the third connection port of the main body.

  In this embodiment, it is preferable that the tip of the medium supply port of the medium supply means protrudes from the second connection port into the main body. With this configuration, the tip of the culture medium supply port is washed with a sterilizing solution and washing water that flows down along the inner surface of the culture vessel, and fungi can be prevented from remaining and breeding at the tip.

  Preferably, the culture container is configured to determine whether or not fungi are present. That is, the culture medium contains a substrate that develops color by reacting with the water to be tested in the culture vessel, and the water to be tested in the culture vessel is heated and held at a temperature suitable for culture by the heating means. The presence / absence of fungi is determined by determination means for determining discoloration of the water under test. In order to make it possible to determine the color change of the water to be tested, at least a part of the culture vessel is made of a light transmissive material. With such a configuration, the culture vessel is used for mixing the water to be tested and the culture medium, culturing fungi, determining discoloration, and heat sterilization of the water to be tested after the culture. It can be. The material of the culture vessel is preferably heat resistant glass in terms of heat resistance and light transmittance.

  Determination of the presence or absence of fungi can use a determination method suitable for the type of fungus. For the determination of the coliform group, for example, those described in JP-A Nos. 2003-189844 and 2004-229655 can be employed. The thing of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2004-229655 is employable.

  In this embodiment, it is preferable that the test water from the test water supply line be washed water during the cleaning step of cleaning the inner surfaces of the first flow path, the culture vessel, and the second flow path. It is configured to be used as With such a configuration, a separate device for supplying cleaning water is not required, so that the device configuration can be simplified. In this embodiment, the washing water can be washing water such as distilled water instead of the test water. In this case, a cleaning water supply line is provided separately from the test water supply line.

The first flow path, the second flow path, and the third flow path are preferably configured entirely by an elastic tube. By setting it as an elastic tube, each elastic tube can be attached or detached easily and a maintenance property improves. The material of the elastic tube is preferably silicon rubber, but is not limited thereto.

  The valve provided in the second flow path (second valve) and the valve provided in the third flow path (third valve) close the flow path by releasing pressure (pinching) of the elastic tube and release the holding pressure. This is a valve that opens the flow path, and is called a so-called pinch valve. By using such a pinch valve, liquid leakage from the valve portion can be prevented and a highly safe device can be provided, and the durability of the valve can be improved because there is no contact between the valve itself and the sterilizing agent. A valve (first valve) can also be provided in the first flow path. Also in this case, this first valve is a pinch valve.

  The control unit controls the discharge of the medium from the medium supply unit and the opening and closing of the second valve and the third valve (including the opening and closing of the first valve when the first valve is provided). The control means has a function of storing a predetermined amount of water to be tested in at least the culture vessel. The control means supplies a fixed amount of medium to the water to be tested stored in the culture vessel, and also has a culture step of culturing fungi in the water to be tested while maintaining the water to be tested at a temperature suitable for growth. Configure to do. More preferably, a determination step for determining the presence or absence of fungi, a first sterilization (thermal sterilization) step for heat sterilizing the water under test after the determination step, the supply container, the first flow path, the culture container, and the first A second sterilization step of sterilizing the two flow paths and the like with a sterilizing liquid and a cleaning step of cleaning these sterilized elements with cleaning water are performed.

  The first sterilization step is a step of heat sterilizing the water to be tested in the culture vessel after the culturing step. The second sterilization step is a step of flowing the sterilizing liquid in the supply container in the order of the first flow path, the culture container, and the second flow path, and also flowing into the third flow path. The washing step is a step of flowing the washing water in the supply container in the order of the first flow path, the culture container, and the second flow path, and also flowing into the third flow path. The culturing step is a step of supplying water to be tested in the supply container to the culture container through the first channel and supplying a culture medium to the culture container to culture fungi. The determination step is a step of determining the presence or absence of fungi in the water under test in the culture vessel.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that a supply container for supplying water to be tested, a sterilizing liquid, and a cleaning liquid is provided above the culture container. The supply container includes a liquid supply port that detachably connects the upper end of the first flow path to the lower end thereof.

  The supply container has a function of selectively storing water to be tested, sterilizing liquid, and washing water. The supply container is not particularly limited in its shape and material as long as the sterilizing liquid or water to be tested does not adhere to or remain on the inner surface, but preferably a funnel type or hopper having an opening at the bottom The shape of the mold is made of sodium hypochlorite.

  In the configuration of each connection port, preferably, the diameter (particularly the inner diameter) of the liquid supply port and the first connection port is larger than the diameter of the second connection port. With such a configuration, the effect of sterilization and washing can be prevented by preventing obstacles caused by air clogging and reliably dropping the sterilizing solution and washing water, and increasing the speed of dropping the sterilizing solution and washing water from the supply container to the culture vessel. The time required for the determination process for the presence or absence of fungi is shortened.

In the embodiment including this supply container, preferably, a test water supply line for supplying test water to the supply container and a sterilizing agent supply means for supplying a sterilizing agent to the supply container are provided. And, during the sterilization step of sterilizing each inner surface of the supply container, the first flow path, the culture container, and the second flow path, the sterilizing agent from the sterilizing agent supply means and the test target from the water supply line to be tested A sterilizing solution is produced with water. This sterilizing solution contains the sterilizing agent at a predetermined concentration in order to effectively perform the necessary sterilization. With such a configuration, a predetermined sterilizing liquid can be generated from the water to be tested and the sterilizing agent in the supply container, and a sterilizing liquid tank for storing a large amount of the sterilizing liquid is unnecessary, so that the apparatus configuration can be simplified. .

  In order to obtain the sterilizing liquid having the predetermined concentration, preferably, a water level control means for detecting a water level in the supply container and storing a predetermined amount of water to be tested in the supply container is provided, and the sterilizing agent supply The means is a discharge device capable of quantitative discharge of the bactericide. By comprising in this way, the bactericidal solution containing the predetermined concentration bactericidal agent can be obtained with a simple construction.

  This discharge device is preferably configured as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-264269 developed by the applicant. The discharge device preferably includes a main body provided with a pressure roller, and a liquid cassette containing a liquid cartridge having a discharge liquid reservoir connected to one end of an elastic tube and a check valve connected to the other end. The liquid cassette is detachably mounted so that the elastic tube receives the pressing operation of the pressing roller, and the pressing operation of the pressing roller with respect to the elastic tube by the rotational movement of the pressing roller is non-operational. A liquid ejecting apparatus that dispenses liquid quantitatively by repeating the operation. Further preferably, the liquid cassette includes an arcuate guide portion that cooperates with the pressing roller, a window portion through which the pressing roller enters and exits when the pressing roller rotates, and a storage portion that stores the storage body. The cassette case is provided, and the liquid cartridge is housed and installed in the cassette case.

  The test water supply line may be a water pipe, but is not limited thereto. The test water supply line has an end portion thereof connected to the supply container in an edge-cut state. Edge cutting means that the water to be tested stored in the supply container does not flow backward to the water to be tested supply line, and the open end of the water to be tested is not inserted into the water to be tested and is open to the atmosphere. This means a connection state in which water to be tested can be supplied into the supply container.

  As the pinch valves for the first valve, the second valve, and the third valve, commercially available electromagnetic valves can be used. As described above, the diameters of the liquid supply port and the first connection port are as follows. In the case of increasing the diameter of the elastic tube of the first flow path, and a large clamping pressure is required, it has been found that there is a problem that a large valve is used and the amount of electric power increases.

  Therefore, the first valve is preferably a pinch valve configured to save power. The pinch valve includes a fixed body and an operating body arranged with the elastic tube interposed therebetween, and an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the elastic tube at an open position and a clamping pressure position of the operating body, and a motor And a cam that moves the operating body to the open position at the first control position and sets the operating body to the clamping position at the second control position. When the first control position is set, the elastic tube is configured to move the operating body to the open position using its elastic restoring force.

  And this pinch valve shall be equipped with the operation piece for pinching the said elastic tube in the position away from the said rotation position, and the said operation body is rotatably supported by the said fixed body at the one end side. More preferably, a position detection mechanism for detecting a first control position and a second control position of the cam is provided, and the cam is placed between the first control position and the second control position by energizing the motor. When the position detection mechanism detects the first control position and the second control position, the motor is deenergized.

A coliform group determination apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic schematic configuration diagram of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view in perspective with a part of the outer box of the first embodiment removed, and FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the pressing roller mechanism in the cross section of the main part of 1 is omitted, and FIG. 4 is a state in which the culture medium supply means, the first flow path, and the second flow path in the cross section of the main part of Example 1 are removed. FIG. 5 is a front explanatory view of another main part of the first embodiment, FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view showing one operation state of the main part, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another operation state of the main part, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the same embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the coliform group determination apparatus is for automatically determining the presence or absence of coliform group in the test water using X-Gal which is one of the specific enzyme substrate medium methods. A supply container 1 for selectively storing a sterilizing liquid and washing water, and disposed below the supply container 1, is connected to the bottom of the supply container 1 by a first channel 2, and the second channel 3 is a bottom A culture vessel 4 for culturing fungi in the water under test connected to the culture vessel, a medium supply means 5 for supplying a culture medium to the culture vessel 4, and a first valve 6 for opening and closing the flow path of the first flow path 2. The second valve 7 for opening and closing the second flow path 3, the sterilizing agent supplying means 8 for supplying the sterilizing agent to the supply container 1, and the culture medium supplying means (which can be referred to as reagent supplying means) 5, Control for controlling the disinfectant supply means 8, the first valve 6 and the second valve 7. And a 9 as a main part.

  The supply container 1 includes a test water to be determined for the presence of E. coli, the supply container 1, the first flow path 2, the culture container 4, the second flow path 3, and the third flow path 20 described later. It has a function of selectively storing a sterilizing liquid for sterilizing each inner surface and cleaning water for cleaning the sterilized elements.

  The supply container 1 has a substantially cylindrical shape with an opening on the upper surface, a lower portion formed in a dome shape, and a liquid supply port 10 that removably connects the first flow path 2 to the bottom. The supply container 1 uses a material (for example, vinyl chloride) that is strong against a sterilizing agent.

  The test water in the supply container 1 is supplied through a test water supply line 12 having a water supply valve 11. The test water supply line 12 is connected to the supply container 1 in an edged state.

  Further, the sterilizing liquid in the supply container 1 contains a predetermined concentration of the sterilizing agent in order to effectively sterilize the sterilizing agent from the sterilizing agent supply means 8 and the test water from the test water supply line 12. It is generated so as to be stored in the supply container 1 during the sterilization process. In the first embodiment, the wash water is the test water supplied from the test water supply line 12 and is stored in the supply container 1 during the cleaning process.

  The supply container 1 is provided with a water level detector 13 for controlling the water level in the supply container 1. The water level detector 13 includes a first electrode 13H for determining a cleaning water level, a second electrode 13L for determining a sterilizing water level lower than the cleaning water level, and a third electrode 13E for grounding.

  The sterilizing agent supply device 8 is a roller pump type discharging device capable of quantitatively discharging the sterilizing agent. In the first embodiment, the sterilizing agent supply device 8 has the same configuration as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-264269. The sterilizing agent supply means 8 is connected to a first body portion 8B provided with a first pressing roller mechanism 8A, a reservoir of discharged liquid (sterilizing agent) at one end of an elastic tube, and a check valve (at the other end). And a first liquid cassette 8C containing a liquid cartridge (not shown) connected to the first liquid cassette 8C. The first liquid cassette 8C is attached and detached so that the elastic tube receives a pressing operation by the first pressing roller mechanism 8A. Mounted freely, and by the rotational movement of the first pressing roller mechanism 8A, the pressing operation of the first pressing roller mechanism 8A on the elastic tube repeats the action and non-action, so that the sterilizing agent is discharged quantitatively. It is configured. Although the said bactericidal agent is sodium hypochlorite in this Example 1, it is not limited to this.

The culture container 4 has a function of sterilizing the inside, a culture function of mixing a medium with test water and culturing fungi in the test water, a determination function for determining discoloration due to fungal culture, It has a heat sterilization function for heat sterilizing the water under test. In order to perform such a function, the culture vessel 4 is formed of a material having antibacterial resistance, heat resistance, and light transmittance (in this example 1, quartz glass).

  3 and 4, the culture container 4 includes a main body portion 16, a first connection port 17 that is provided at the upper end of the main body portion 16 and detachably connects the lower end of the first flow path 2; A second connection port 18 provided at the lower end of the main body part 16 for detachably connecting the upper end of the second flow path 3 and a medium supply provided at the upper part of the main body part 16 and connected to the medium supply means 5. A port 19 and a third connection port 21 provided below the medium supply port 19 and to which the overflow third flow path 20 is detachably connected are integrally formed.

  The diameters of the liquid supply port 10 and the first connection port 17 are larger than the diameter of the second connection port 18. The reason for this is to prevent obstacles caused by air cavities, to surely drop the sterilizing liquid and washing water, and to increase the dropping speed of the sterilizing liquid and washing water from the supply container 1 to the culture container 4.

  The inner surface of the main body 16 has a semispherical upper end and lower end so that the sterilizing liquid and the washing water flowing from the first connection port 17 toward the second connection port 18 flow along the entire inner surface. The middle part is cylindrical. By adopting such a shape, the entire inner peripheral surface of the main body 16 can be uniformly sterilized and cleaned.

  In addition, referring to FIG. 4, the culture vessel 4 heats the outer peripheral surface of the main body 16 as a temperature control device for heating and maintaining the culture function, that is, the water to be tested at a temperature suitable for culture. A planar heater 22 is provided. The heater 22 is also used as a means for performing the heat sterilization function, that is, the function of heat sterilization so as to make the water to be tested after the culturing process harmless.

  In addition, the culture vessel 4 includes a transmitted light intensity measurement unit (which can be referred to as a transmitted light amount measurement unit) 23 that constitutes a part of the color change detection device for performing the determination function. The transmitted light intensity measurement unit 23 includes a first measurement unit to a third measurement unit. The first measurement unit mainly includes a first light-emitting element 26 and a first light-receiving element 27 such as a phototransistor that faces the first light-emitting element 26 with the main body 16 interposed therebetween. This is for measuring the transmitted light intensity of the light emitted from the first light emitting element 26 and passing through the main body 16. In Example 1, the emission color of the first light emitting element 26 is red in order to determine whether the water to be tested including the culture medium changes from blue to blue-green due to the presence of coliforms.

  On the other hand, the second measuring unit mainly includes a second light emitting element 28 and a second light receiving element 29 such as a phototransistor facing the second light emitting element 28 with the main body 16 interposed therebetween. The transmitted light intensity of the light emitted from the second light emitting element 29 and passing through the main body portion 16 is measured. In Example 1, the emission color of the second light emitting element 26 is set to a color other than red in order to determine the turbidity of the water under test. The second measuring unit is provided to distinguish whether the color change is caused by coliform bacteria or turbidity caused by other bacteria, but may be configured not to be provided if necessary.

  The third measuring unit is for determining whether a predetermined amount of water to be tested (culture solution) containing a culture medium is injected, and includes a third permeability measuring unit 30. The third transmittance measuring unit 30 includes a third light emitting element 31 that emits green light, such as a green diode, and a third light emitting element 31 that faces the third light emitting element 31 with the main body 16 interposed therebetween. The light receiving element 32 is mainly provided for measuring the transmitted light intensity of the green light emitted from the third light emitting element 31 and passing through the main body 16.

  The light emitting elements 26, 28, 31 are fixed to the first substrate 33, and the light receiving elements 27, 29, 32 are fixed to the second substrate 34. The first substrate 33 and the second substrate 34 are supported on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 16 by O-rings 74 and 74 made of an elastic material by an annular first support member 35.

  The medium supply means 5 supplies a specific enzyme substrate medium using the X-Gal method to the water to be tested, and is a roller pump type capable of quantitative discharge, and the disinfectant supply means 8 The configuration is the same. The culture medium supply means 5 is connected to a second body 5B provided with a second pressure roller mechanism 5A, a reservoir of discharged liquid (medium) at one end of an elastic tube, and a check valve (not shown) at the other end. A second liquid cassette 5C containing a liquid cartridge (not shown) connected thereto, and the liquid cassette 5C is detachably mounted so that the elastic tube receives the pressing operation of the second pressing roller mechanism 5A, By the rotational movement of the second pressing roller mechanism 5A, the pressing operation of the second pressing roller mechanism 5A with respect to the elastic tube is configured to repeatedly discharge the medium by repeating the operation and the non-operation.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the medium supply port tip 39 of the medium supply means 5 is configured to protrude from the second connection port 19 into the main body 16. That is, the supply port tip 39 is configured to be washed with a sterilizing solution and washing water flowing down along the inner surface of the culture vessel 4.

  Moreover, with reference to FIG. 4, the lower end part of the said culture container 4 is equipped with the stirring apparatus 40 for stirring the stored to-be-tested water. The stirrer 40 includes a stator coil 41 and a spherical stirrer 42 having a built-in magnet provided at the bottom of the main body 16. The stirrer 42 is placed in a free state on the bottom of the main body 16, and has one or more grooves 43 for smoothly flowing water to be tested to the second connection port 18. The stator coil 41 is supported on the upper end of the second connection port 18 by a second support member 44. In order to facilitate this discharge, an appropriate number of protrusions (not shown) can be provided on the main body 16 instead of or in addition to the groove 43.

  The first channel 2, the second channel 3, and the third channel 20 are all composed of a translucent elastic tube made of silicon rubber. The first flow path 2 is connected by fitting (inserting) both ends thereof into the liquid supply port 10 and the first connection port 17 using elasticity. The second flow path 3 is connected by fitting the upper end of the second flow path 3 into the second connection port 18 using elasticity. The third flow path 20 is connected by fitting one end of the third flow path 20 into the third connection port 21 using elasticity. By making the first flow path 2, the second flow path 3 and the third flow path 20 transparent or translucent tubes, it is possible to check the contamination on the inner surface.

  A third valve 45 is also provided in the third flow path 20. The third valve 45 is provided to control overflow from the culture vessel 4.

  The first valve 6, the second valve 7, and the third valve 45 are all pinch valves that close the flow path by holding (pinching) an elastic tube and open the flow path by releasing the holding pressure. It is said. Since the second valve 7 and the third valve 45 have a small elastic tube diameter, a commercially available electromagnetic pinch valve (for example, PK0802-NC manufactured by Takasago Electric Co., Ltd.) is used.

The pinch valve used for the first valve 6 is a pinch valve configured to save power. This pinch valve will be described with reference to FIGS. The first valve 6 includes a fixed body 46 and an operating body 48 that are arranged with the first flow path 2 made of an elastic tube in between, and the operating body 48 is in an open position (FIG. 6) and a clamping position (FIG. 7). ), The first flow path 2 is opened,
The opening / closing mechanism 49 to be closed and the rotational motion of the motor 50 are converted into movement of the operating body 48, the operating body 48 is set to the open position at the first control position, and the operating body 48 is set to the second control position. When the cam 51 is in the first control position, the first flow path 2 includes the cam 51 that moves the operating body 48 to the open position by its own elastic restoring force. Yes.

  The fixed body 46 is made of a synthetic resin plate-like member and has a function of sandwiching the first flow path 2 as described above, but functions as a substrate that supports the components of the first valve 6.

  The operating body 48 is formed as an L-shaped arm made of synthetic resin, and a rotation support provided on the fixed body 46 so as to sandwich the first flow path 2 on one end side of the base 52 and the base 52. A pair of support pieces 54, 54 that are rotatably supported by the portion 53, and the other end side of the base portion 52, provided on a surface facing the first flow path 2, and substantially the same as the first flow path 2. And an operating piece 55 for vertically contacting and pressing. A cutout portion 56 for preventing movement of the operating body 48 between the open position and the pinching position is formed on the rotation support portion side of the base portion 52.

  The motor 50 is a DC motor, and a rotary shaft 58 is connected via a reduction gear mechanism 57, and the cam 51 is attached to the rotary shaft 58. The motor 50 fixes the speed reduction gear mechanism 57 to a metal first mounting plate 59 with screws, and fixes the first mounting plate 59 to the fixed body 46 with screws. Fixed and supported by The motor 50 can be a motor other than a DC motor.

  The first valve 6 includes a position detection mechanism 60 that detects a first control position and a second control position of the cam 51. The position detection mechanism 60 includes a position detection plate 63 provided with a first notch 61 corresponding to the open position and a second notch 62 corresponding to the pinching position provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 58, and the position detection plate 63. When the detection plate 63 rotates and the first notch 61 and the second notch 62 are positioned, light detection from the light emitting part 64A is received by the light receiving part 64B, and light detection is not received by the light receiving part at other positions. Device 64. The photodetector 64 is mounted on the second mounting plate 65 and fixed to the first mounting plate 59 made of metal with a screw. The cam 51 and the position detection plate 63 are integrally configured by resin molding. In the open position and the pinching position, energization to the motor 50 is stopped, and power saving is configured.

   In FIG. 4, reference numeral 66 denotes a heat insulating material for heat insulation covering the upper part of the main body part 16 not covered with the transmitted light intensity measurement part 23 and the heater 22, and 67 denotes an upper part in the culture vessel 4. 68 is a second temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water under test in the lower part of the culture vessel 4. As shown in FIG. 2, each component of the first embodiment is mounted on an integrated plate 69, and includes a side plate 70, a back plate 71, a bottom plate 72, a front plate (not shown) as an openable / closable door, and the like. Is housed in a box 73 covering the entire apparatus.

  The controller 9 inputs signals from the water level detector 13, the transmitted light intensity measurement unit 23, the first temperature sensor 67, the second temperature sensor 68, and the like, and sterilizes the sterilizing agent supply unit 8. Based on a fungus determination program stored in advance, such as agent discharge, medium discharge of the medium supply means 5, opening and closing of the first valve 6, opening and closing of the second valve 7, the water supply valve 11 and the third valve 45, etc. Control.

The fungus determination program includes a culture process, a determination process for the presence or absence of fungi, a first sterilization process for thermally sterilizing and discharging the test water after culturing, and sterilizing the flow path of the test water with a sterilizing solution. The main process includes a second sterilization process and a cleaning process for cleaning the flow path with cleaning water, and these processes are repeated.

  In the culturing step, the water to be tested in the supply container 1 is supplied to the culture container 4 through the first flow path 2 and a culture medium is supplied from the culture medium supply means 5 to the culture container 4 at a predetermined temperature. It is the process of culturing fungi by holding in.

  The determination step is a step of determining the presence or absence of fungi in the water under test in the culture vessel 4. More specifically, the medium contains a substrate that develops color by reacting with the test water in the culture vessel 4, and the heater 22 heats and holds the test water in the culture vessel 4 at a temperature suitable for culture. This is a step of detecting the discoloration of the water to be tested in the culture vessel 4 based on the measurement result by the transmitted light intensity measurement unit 23 and determining the presence or absence of fungi.

  The determination of the presence or absence of fungi can use a determination method suitable for the type of fungus, but the determination apparatus of Example 1 determines the presence or absence of coliforms, which is disclosed in JP-A-2004-229655. The same one as described is adopted.

  The specific enzyme substrate medium used in this Example 1, that is, the specific enzyme substrate medium stored in the liquid cassette 5C of the medium supply means 5 is basically a specific enzyme substrate medium (X -Gal medium). More specifically, for example, the pyruvate-added X-Gal-MUG medium listed in the table of pages 842 to 843, published by Japan Water Works Association, "Water Supply Test Method, Description Edition 2001", enzyme substrate, It has been adjusted to contain nutrients, salts, surfactants and pH adjusters for coliform culture.

  And this high concentration specific enzyme substrate culture medium further contains a predetermined | prescribed pigment | dye. The dye used here can color the water under test so that the transmittance of green light is reduced, and does not show an absorption peak in the wavelength region near 660 nm, which is the red wavelength region. is there. As such a dye, for example, a dye exhibiting a maximum absorption peak in the vicinity of 520 nm can be used. However, the dye used here is preferably one that does not easily impair the reliability of the determination result of the presence or absence of coliforms, that is, one that does not hinder the culture of coliforms. A specific example of a red pigment that is difficult to prevent the cultivation of coliform bacteria is eosin Y.

  The content of the above-mentioned dye in the specific enzyme substrate medium is particularly limited as long as the test water is set so that the color of the dye can be changed when the specific enzyme substrate medium is added to the water to be tested. It is not a thing.

  The first sterilization step is a step of heat sterilizing the water to be tested in the culture vessel 4 after the culturing step with the heater 22.

  In the second sterilization step, a sterilizing liquid is generated in the supply container 1, and the sterilizing liquid is flowed in the order of the first flow path 2, the culture container 4 and the second flow path 3, and the third flow This is a process that also flows through the path 20.

  Particularly preferred as the fungicide is a chlorine-based fungicide such as sodium hypochlorite. The chlorine-based disinfectant not only exhibits bactericidal action against various fungi, but also functions as a bleaching agent, so that the transparency of the culture vessel 4 can be increased in the washing step.

  The washing step is a step of flowing the washing water in the supply container 1 in the order of the first flow path 2, the culture container 4, and the second flow path 3 and flowing into the third flow path 20.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition,
Here, the case where X-Gal culture medium containing a red pigment | dye is used as a specific enzyme substrate culture medium is demonstrated. In the following description, the operation of each component is controlled by the controller 9 unless otherwise specified.

  Referring to FIG. 8, when the operator turns on the power of the apparatus of the first embodiment, the first to third valves 6, 7, 45 in step S1 (hereinafter, step SN is simply referred to as SN). The initial setting operation such as closing the water supply valve 11 is performed.

  Next, in S2, a pretreatment process is performed. The pretreatment step is a step of cleaning the supply container 1, the first flow path 2, the culture container 4, the second flow path 3, and the third flow path 20. This cleaning can be performed in the same manner as the cleaning step described later, and can be configured to perform the sterilization step in the same manner as the second sterilization step before the cleaning.

  Here, before explaining the following steps, the opening and closing operations of the first valve 6 will be explained. First, the opening of the first valve 6 is performed as follows. 6 and 7, the first valve 6 in the closed state shown in FIG. 7 has the operating body 48 pressed by the cam 51, and the operating body 48 and the fixed body 46 The first flow path 2 is clamped and the flow path is crushed so as to be closed. In this closed state, the motor 50 is driven, and the cam 51 is moved until the first notch 61 of the position detection plate 63 reaches the first control position where light is detected by the photodetector 64 shown in FIG. And the motor 50 is stopped. Then, the pressing force to the operating body 48 by the cam 51 is released, and the operating body 48 is rotated to the open position by its own elastic force of the first flow path 2 and the flow path is opened.

  Next, the closing operation of the first valve 6 will be described. The first valve 6 is closed as follows. A drive signal is sent to the motor 50 to bring the first valve 6 in the open state shown in FIG. 6 into the closed state shown in FIG. Then, the cam 51 is rotated until the second cutout 62 of the position detection plate 63 reaches the second control position where light is detected by the photodetector 64 shown in FIG. 7, and the motor 50 is stopped. Then, a pressing force is applied to the operating body 48 by the cam 51, and the operating body 52 rotates to pinch the first flow path 2, and crushes the flow path to close the flow path.

(Standby process)
When the above pretreatment process is completed, a standby process is performed in S3. In this standby step, it is determined whether or not the operator has turned on a determination start switch (not shown) or whether the measurement start time has come. Here, when the operator does not turn on the determination start switch or when the measurement start time is not reached, the standby state is maintained as it is. On the other hand, when the operator turns on the determination start switch, steps S4 to S11 are started.

(Sample water introduction process)
In S4, introduction of water to be tested (water sampling) is performed. That is, the first valve 6 is opened, the second valve 7 and the third valve 45 are closed, the water supply valve 11 is opened, and the test water is supplied from the test water supply line 12 to the supply container 1. , And supplied into the culture vessel 4 through the first flow path 2. The third valve 45 is opened at a timing when the water to be tested is filled in the culture vessel 4 and the water to be tested is allowed to overflow from the third flow path 20, thereby storing a predetermined amount in the culture vessel 4. To do. When this step is completed, the first valve 6 and the third valve 45 are closed. Due to this overflow, an air layer is formed in the upper layer part of the culture vessel 4, and discoloration for determining the presence or absence of fungi is enabled by this air layer.

(Light intensity measurement process)
Blank measurement is performed at the end of supply of the test water (by timer control).
This blank measurement is a measurement of light intensity (blank) in a state where water to be tested is placed in the culture vessel 4. First, the transmitted light intensity is measured by the transmitted light intensity measuring unit 23 to obtain reference values for various determinations.

(Medium injection process)
Next, in S6, a medium (culture solution) is injected. That is, the second pressing roller mechanism 5A of the medium supply means 5 is driven to supply a predetermined amount of medium to the water to be tested stored in the second container 4. At the time of injecting the culture medium, the stator coil 41 is simultaneously operated, and the water to be tested in the second container 4 is stirred by the stirrer 42. As a result, the injected specific enzyme substrate medium is evenly dispersed in the test water. In this way, test water containing a medium with a predetermined concentration is generated. At the time of this medium injection, the injected medium sinks in the test water due to the difference in specific gravity, and as a result, the test water slightly overflows from the third flow path 20, but the concentration of whether the medium is normally injected or not By performing the determination (checking) step, no problem occurs.

(Culture process)
When the medium injection is completed, a culture process is performed in S7. In this culturing step, the heater 22 is controlled so that the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 60 becomes a set value, and the stirring device 40 is driven to warm and stir the water to be tested. Do. Then, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the water to be tested has reached a temperature suitable for culturing the coliform group, for example, 36 ± 1 ° C. When the temperature of the water to be tested reaches that temperature, the internal timer is operated, and in the case of this Example 1 using a necessary elapsed time (predetermined time) necessary for cultivation of coliform bacteria, for example, pyruvate-added X-Gal medium Determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. When it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to the next determination step of S8.

(Judgment process)
This determination step is performed as follows. Next, in the determination step, the first light emitting element 26 of the first measuring unit and the second light emitting element 28 of the second measuring unit are turned on. Then, the light from the first light emitting element 26 and the second light emitting element 28 passing through the culture vessel 4 is received by the first light receiving element 27 and the second light receiving element 29, and the light transmission intensity is measured. . In the following description, the effect | action by the light transmission intensity measurement by said 2nd measurement part is abbreviate | omitted.

  Here, the transmittance of red light emitted from the first light emitting element 26 and passing through the culture vessel 4 will be described. When the test water supplied and cultured with a specific enzyme substrate medium (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a reagent) does not contain coliforms, 5,5-dibromo-4,4-dichloroindigo is produced as described above. Therefore, it does not change color and the transmittance of red light is unlikely to decrease. On the other hand, when the water to be tested supplied with the reagent and cultured contains coliforms, 5,5-dibromo-4,4-dichloroindigo, which exhibits blue to blue-green, is produced, and thus blue to blue-green. As a result, the transmittance of red light rapidly decreases. Therefore, in general, the color change from blue to blue green of the water under test can be determined based on the transmittance of red light. That is, generally, when the transmittance of red light decreases, the water to be tested changes from blue to blue-green (that is, the water to be tested contains coliforms and 5,5-dibromo-4,4-dichloro It can be determined that it is generated by Indigo).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the measured transmittance of red light is smaller than a threshold value for determining whether the transmittance is positive or negative. Here, when the transmittance of red light is smaller than the threshold value, the fact that the coliform group is present in the test water is displayed on the display device (not shown) indicating that the coliform group is positive.

On the other hand, when the transmittance of red light is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the display device displays “E. coli group negative” indicating that the coliform group does not exist in the test water.

  The determination process described above can be configured such that the determination process of the determination process is performed at regular intervals during the culture process. In this case, it can be configured to stop the culturing step when it is determined to be positive even if the predetermined time of the culturing step has not elapsed.

(First sterilization process)
When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of this determination step, the first sterilization (thermal sterilization) step of S9 is performed. Here, the heater 22 and the stator coil 41 are operated, and the water to be tested in the culture vessel 4 is heated and stirred at a high temperature. Then, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the water to be tested has reached a temperature suitable for sterilization of the coliform group, for example, 80 ° C. When the temperature of the water under test reaches 80 ° C., the internal timer is activated, and then a predetermined elapsed time required for sterilization of the coliform bacteria is determined.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed, the test water is discharged. Here, the second valve 7 is opened, the water to be tested is discharged, and the process proceeds to the next second sterilization step.

(Second sterilization process)
In S10, the second sterilization step is performed. This second sterilization step is performed as follows. First, the first pressing roller mechanism 8A is driven to supply the sterilizing agent in the first liquid cassette 8C into the supply container 1 only in a fixed amount. Next, the water supply valve 11 is opened, and water to be tested is supplied into the supply container 1 from the water supply line 12 to be tested. When the water level in the supply container 1 reaches the tip end position of the second electrode 13L, the water supply valve 11 is closed, and water to be tested containing a predetermined amount of sterilizing agent is stored in the supply container 1. Thus, a sterilizing liquid containing a predetermined concentration of sterilizing agent is generated.

  Next, when the second valve 7 and the third valve 45 are closed and the first valve 6 is opened, the sterilizing liquid in the supply container 1 is supplied into the culture container 4 through the first flow path 2. . In the culture container 4, the sterilizing liquid flows from the first connection port 10 along the inner surface of the main body portion 16 while sterilizing the inner surface, and is stored in the culture container 4. In this flow, the tip 39 of the medium supply means 5 is sterilized. Then, the inside of the culture vessel 2 is filled with a sterilizing solution, and the inside of the culture vessel 4 in contact with the sterilizing solution is sterilized even in this storage state. After the sterilizing liquid is stored in the entire culture container 4, the third valve 45 is opened by timer control, and the sterilizing liquid is overflowed from the third flow path 20. Thereby, the inner surface of the third flow path 20 is sterilized. Here, the amount of the sterilizing liquid stored in the supply container 1 is configured to be larger than the internal volume of the culture container 2.

  When the sterilization of the third flow path 20 is finished, the second valve 7 is opened by timer control, and the sterilizing liquid is discharged through the second flow path 3. By this discharge, the inner surface of the second flow path 3 is sterilized. The first valve 6 and the second valve 7 are closed at the timing when the sterilizing liquid is completely discharged. In the first embodiment, the opening timing of the second valve 7 is a predetermined time after the supply of the sterilizing liquid is stopped, but at the start of the supply of the sterilizing liquid to the culture vessel 4 or before the start (A configuration in which the inner surface is sterilized while discharging the sterilizing solution).

(Washing process)
When the above second sterilization step is performed an appropriate number of times N1, the cleaning step is performed in S11. This washing process is performed as follows. First, the water supply valve 11 is opened, and water to be tested as cleaning water is supplied into the supply container 1 from the water supply line 12 to be tested. When the water level in the supply container 1 reaches the tip position of the first electrode 13H, the water supply valve 11 is closed, and a predetermined amount of water to be tested is stored in the supply container 1. When this storage is completed, the inner surfaces of the first flow path 2, the culture container 4, the second flow path 3, and the third flow path 20 are washed using the water to be tested in the supply container 1.

 More specifically, the water supply valve 11 is opened, and water to be tested is supplied into the supply container 1 from the water supply line 12 to be tested. When the water level in the supply container 1 reaches the tip position of the first electrode 13H, the water supply valve 11 is closed, and a predetermined amount (for example, 500 cc) of water to be tested is stored in the supply container 1. With the first valve 6 opened and the second valve 7 and the third valve 45 closed, the water to be tested in the supply container 1 is supplied to the culture container 4. The second valve 7 and the third valve 45 are opened at the timing when the water to be tested is filled in the culture vessel 4, and the water to be tested is discharged from the second flow path 3 and the third flow path 20. Then, the inner surface of the flow path is cleaned. Also in this washing step, the tip 39 of the medium supply means 5 is washed. When the cleaning process in S11 is completed, the process waits in S3.

  According to Example 1 demonstrated above, a culture | cultivation process, a determination process, a 1st sterilization process, a 2nd sterilization process, and a washing | cleaning process are performed in order. At the time of the second sterilization step, the sterilizing liquid in the supply container 1 is not affected by gravity without using a pump in the order of the first flow path 2, the culture container 4, the second flow path 3, and the third flow path 20. In addition, it flows through a flow path without a bent portion where the washing water stays. Further, the washing water flows during the washing process, and further, during the culturing process, the water to be tested flows without stagnation as in the sterilization process. As a result, it is possible to prevent sterilization leakage due to retention of water to be tested and the sterilizing solution, and inconvenience that correct culture and determination cannot be performed.

  Further, the sterilizing liquid can be easily generated by diluting the sterilizing agent with the water to be tested using the sterilizing agent supply means 8 and the water level detector 13 of the fixed discharge type in the supply container 1. . As a result, a tank for storing a large amount of the sterilizing liquid and a pump for supplying the sterilizing liquid from the tank are not required, so that the apparatus configuration can be simplified. Further, since the medium is supplied by the medium supply means 5 of a fixed discharge type and the water to be tested is quantitatively supplied to the culture container 4 by the supply container 1 and the water level detector 13, the predetermined concentration is set. The water to be tested can be easily generated, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified in this respect.

  Further, since the first valve 6, the second valve 7 and the third valve 45 are constituted by pinch valves, the sterilization liquid and the washing water can be prevented from staying and leaking, and the safety is high, and the durability of the valve A highly sensitive fungus determination device can be provided. Further, since the first valve 6 is configured as a motor-driven power saving type, energy saving can be realized.

  Further, the first valve 6 is clamped by the operating piece 55 provided at the end opposite to the rotation support of the operating body 48 being in contact with the elastic tube of the first flow path 2 at a substantially right angle. Since it is configured so as to be in the closed state, it is possible to suppress the wear due to friction of the elastic tube and to extend the life (replacement time).

Further, according to the first valve 6, since a spring for clamping or releasing the elastic tube of the first flow path 2 is not required, the configuration of the pinch valve can be simplified.
Further, when the first control position and the second control position are detected by the position detection mechanism 60, the power supply to the motor 50 is stopped. Therefore, regardless of the opening / closing operation of the pinch valve, The amount of power used can be reduced.

  Further, since the disinfectant supply means 8 and the medium supply means 5 are cartridge type, the disinfectant and the medium can be easily replenished.

In addition, since the bactericidal agent is supplied to the supply container 1 without being directly supplied to the culture vessel 4, even if the bactericidal agent drops from the bactericidal agent supply means 8, Appropriate culture can be performed without killing fungi.

  Furthermore, since the test water supply line 12 is edged by the supply container 1, contamination of the test water supply line 12 can be prevented.

  The present invention is not limited to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the sterilizing liquid is formed by the sterilizing agent and the water to be tested. It can comprise so that a disinfection liquid may be produced | generated with a disinfectant. Further, a tank for storing a sterilizing liquid containing a sterilizing agent at a predetermined concentration may be provided in advance, and the sterilizing liquid may be supplied from the tank to the supply container 1. Moreover, in the said Example 1, although wash water was used as test water, it can be set as liquids, such as distilled water other than test water. Furthermore, in Example 1, a pyruvate-added X-Gal medium was used as the specific enzyme substrate medium, and a red dye was used as the dye added to the specific enzyme substrate medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this. is not.

The figure which shows schematic structure figure of Example 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing by the perspective of the state which removed the outer case of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the cross section of the principal part of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the cross section of the principal part of the Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the front of the other principal part of the Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective explanatory view showing one operation state of FIG. 5. Explanatory drawing of the perspective which shows the other operation state of FIG. The flowchart figure which shows the principal part control procedure of the Example 1.

Explanation of symbols

2 First flow path 3 Second flow path 4 Culture vessel 5 Medium supply means 6 First valve 7 Second valve 9 Controller (control means)
17 First connection port 18 Second connection port 19 Medium supply port 20 Third flow path 45 Third valve

Claims (3)

A fungus determination device including a culture vessel for culturing fungi in water to be tested,
The culture vessel has a main body, a first connection port provided at the upper end of the main body, to which a first flow path for selectively supplying water to be tested, sterilizing liquid, and washing water is connected, and a lower end of the main body Provided with a second connection port to which a second flow path is connected, and a third connection port provided at the upper part of the main body portion and connected to a third flow path for overflow,
Valves provided respectively in the second flow path and the third flow path;
Water to be tested is supplied from the first flow path to the main body with the valve of the second flow path closed, and the water to be tested in the main body is opened by opening the valve of the third flow path. A fungus determination apparatus, comprising: a control unit that stores a predetermined amount of water to be tested in the main body portion by overflowing from a path.   The fungus determination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a medium supply port that is connected to a medium supply unit that is provided at an upper portion of the main body and is capable of supplying a fixed amount of medium. While configuring the second flow path and the third flow path with an elastic tube, each valve is a pinch valve,
The control means supplies the sterilizing liquid or the cleaning liquid from the first flow path to the main body with the valves of the second flow path and the third flow path closed, and supplies the sterilizing liquid or the cleaning liquid in the main body. After that, the valves of the second flow path and the third flow path are opened, and the sterilizing liquid or the cleaning liquid in the main body is discharged from the second flow path and the third flow path. The fungus determination apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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