Counting biological agents on biological growth plates
The invention is directed to counting techniques for counting biological agents on a biological growth plate or similar medium. In order to automate the counting of biological agents, a biological growth plate is inserted into a biological scanning unit. Upon insertion of the biological growth plate, the biological scanning unit generates an image of the plate. Then, the amount of biological agents that appear in the image, such as a number of bacteria colonies, can be counted or otherwise determined using image processing and analysis routines performed either by the scanning unit or an external computing device, such as a desktop computer, workstation or the like. A variety of counting rules are described herein that can be used to improve the accuracy of automated counts of biological agents on a biological growth plate.
1. A method comprising:
receiving one or more images of a biological growth medium;
identifying a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identifying a second number of biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium; and
excluding from the second number one or more biological agents within a defined distance from an edge of a growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising excluding from the second number the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold only when the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge define areas smaller than a threshold area.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying the first number as first color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identifying a third number of second color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identifying the second number as first color biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium;
identifying a fourth number of second color biological agents associated with the perimeter portion of the biological growth medium;
excluding from the second number of first color biological agents one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number of the first color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than a threshold area; and
excluding from the fourth number of second color biological agents one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the third number of the second color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than the threshold area.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the biological agents comprise bacterial colonies and wherein the first color comprises red and the second color comprises blue.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of the growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprises approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.
6. A method comprising:
receiving one or more images of a biological growth medium;
identifying a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identifying a second number biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium; and
flagging the biological growth medium for additional review if the second number is greater than a factor multiplied by the first number.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the factor is approximately 1.5.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the biological growth medium is a Petri plate, the biological agents comprise bacterial colonies and flagging the biological growth medium for additional review comprises flagging the biological growth medium for review by a technician.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of a growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprise approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.
10. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that when executed in a processor:
receive one or more images of a biological growth medium;
identify a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identify a second number of biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium; and
exclude from the second number one or more biological agents within a defined distance from an edge of a growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold.
11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed exclude from the second number the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold only when the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge define areas smaller than a threshold area.
12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions when executed:
identify the first number as first color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identify a third number of second color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identify the second number as first color biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium;
identify a fourth number of second color biological agents associated with the perimeter portion of the biological growth medium;
exclude from the second number of first color biological agents one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number of the first color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than a threshold area; and
exclude from the fourth number of second color biological agents one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the third number of the second color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than the threshold area.
13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the biological agents comprise bacterial colonies and wherein the first color comprises red and the second color comprises blue.
14. The computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of the growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprises approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.
15. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that when executed in a processor:
receive one or more images of a biological growth medium;
identify a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium;
identify a second number biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium; and
flag the biological growth medium for additional review if the second number is greater than a factor multiplied by the first number.
16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the factor is approximately 1.5.
17. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the biological growth medium is a Petri plate, the biological agents comprise bacterial colonies and the instructions when executed flag the biological growth medium for review by a technician if first number is greater than a factor multiplied by the second number.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of a growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprise approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.
19. A system comprising:
an imaging device to generate one or more images of a biological growth medium; and
a processor to receive the images, identify a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium, identify a second number of biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium, and exclude from the second number one or more biological agents within a defined distance from an edge of a growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processor, excludes from the second number the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number is less than a threshold only when the one or more biological agents within the defined distance from the edge define areas smaller than a threshold area.
21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the processor identifies the first number as first color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium, identifies a third number of second color biological agents associated with the interior portion of the biological growth medium, identifies the second number as first color biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium, identifies a fourth number of second color biological agents associated with the perimeter portion of the biological growth medium, excludes from the second number of first color biological agents one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the first number of the first color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more first color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than a threshold area, and excludes from the fourth number of second color biological agents one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance from the edge of the growth area of the growth medium when the third number of the second color biological agents is less than the threshold and the one or more second color biological agents within the defined distance define areas smaller than the threshold area.
22. The system of claim 19 , wherein the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of the growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprises approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.
23. A system comprising:
an imaging device to generate one or more images of a biological growth medium; and
a processor to receive the images, identify a first number of biological agents associated with an interior portion of the biological growth medium, identify a second number biological agents associated with a perimeter portion of the biological growth medium, and flag the biological growth medium for additional review if the second number is greater than a factor multiplied by the first number.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the factor is approximately 1.5, the interior portion comprises approximately 75 percent of a growth area of the growth medium and the perimeter portion comprise approximately 25 percent of the growth area of the growth medium.