Apparatus and method for filtering biological samples

1. An apparatus for filtering a fecal specimen biological sample comprising:

a body member having an upper end and a lower end and defining a workspace therewithin;

a first attachment portion integrally joined to the lower end of the body member for interlockingly receiving a filtered sample container;

a second attachment portion integrally joined to the upper end of the body member for interlockingly receiving a sample transport container;

a substantially elongate conically-shaped fecal specimen filter member located within said workspace, the height of the filter member being greater than the width of the filter member and forming a steeply inclined wall to provide for an increased filter surface area, the filter member being integrally joined to the lower end of the body member and extending upwardly above said lower end of the body member toward said upper end of the body member, the filter member defining a plurality of openings in its upwardly extending portion; and

an elongate conically-shaped hollow gas exchange stem joined to the distal end of said filter member for exchanging gas therethrough, said gas exchange stem further including a plurality of gas exchange vents positioned at the distal end of the gas exchange stem, said gas exchange stem vents exchanging gas therethrough, and said gas exchange stem and said gas exchange stem vents, respectively, being oriented at a steep angle of the conical shape to allow for a potentially clogging fecal specimen to slide away from said gas exchange vents and thereby prevent clogging.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of lower end of the filter member is greater than the diameter of the upper end of the filter member.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , which has a filter surface including opening of up to about 90% of the total area of the filter member.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , where in the openings comprise rectangularly-shaped openings.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , where in the openings comprise elongate rectangularly-shaped openings.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , where in the height of the rectangularly-shaped openings are greater than the width of the rectangularly-shaped openings.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the openings are arranged radially in arrays of rows.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the openings are arranged radially in arrays of parallel rows.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of lower end of the gas exchange stem is greater than the diameter of the upper end of the gas exchange stem.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least about 10% of the total area of the upwardly extending portion of the filter member comprises openings.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said hollow gas exchange stem protrudes beyond the upper end of the cylindrical body member.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein gas exchange vents are arrayed radially around the distal end of the gas exchange stem.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas exchange vents comprise open passages through the gas exchange stem arranged along an axis parallel to longitudinal axis of the gas exchange tube.

14. A method for filtering a fecal specimen biological sample comprising:

providing an apparatus for filtering a biological sample comprising a body member having an upper end and a lower end and defining a workspace therewithin, a substantially elongate conically-shaped fecal specimen filter member located within said workspace, forming a steeply inclined wall to provide for a greater filter surface areas, the height of the filter member being greater than the width of the filter member and forming a steeply inclined wall to provide for an increased filter surface area, the filter member being integrally joined to the lower end of the body member and extending upwardly above said lower end of the body member toward said upper end of the body member, the filter member defining a plurality of openings in its upwardly extending portion;

providing an elongate conically-shaped hollow gas exchange stem joined to the distal end of said filter member for exchanging gas therethrough, said gas exchange stem further including a plurality of gas exchange vents positioned at the distal end of the gas exchange stem, said gas exchange stem vents exchanging gas therethrough, and said gas exchange stem and said gas exchange stem vents, respectively, being oriented at a steep angle of the conical shape to allow for a potentially clogging fecal specimen to slide away from said gas exchange vents and thereby prevent clogging;

interlockingly attaching a filtered sample container to the lower end of the body member;

providing an upright sample transport container containing an unfiltered biological sample;

inverting and attaching the upper end of the body member of the apparatus to the upright sample transport container; and

inverting the attached apparatus and sample transport container so the unfiltered biological sample flows through the openings and a filtered biological sample is introduced and is collected in the filtered sample container.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the diameter of lower end of the filter member is greater than the diameter of the upper end of the filter member.

16. The method of claim 14 , where in the openings comprise rectangularly-shaped openings.

17. The method of claim 14 , where in the height of the rectangularly-shaped openings are greater than the width of the rectangularly-shaped openings.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein gas exchange vents are arrayed radially around the distal end of the gas exchange stem.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the gas exchange vents comprise open passages through the gas exchange stem arranged along an axis parallel to longitudinal axis of the gas exchange tube.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the diameter of lower end of the gas exchange stem is greater than the diameter of the upper end of the gas exchange stem.