Abstract: Disclosed are methods for producing co-cultures of cells in which at least two cell types are present in a micropattern configuration.

Abstract: A sampling apparatus and process for obtaining microbial samples from a suspect surface, such as a meat processing facility, animal carcass, and the like, wherein a agar saturated porous plastic foam strip is placed in contact with the suspect surface and thereafter incubated to indicate the presence and quantity of microbial growth on the suspect surface. The porous plastic foam strip is attached to one surface of a double faced adhesive tape with the other tape face being adhesively attached to a spool on a hand roller to permit hand pressure application of the porous plastic sampler to the test surface. For use of the sampler without the roller, one surface of the double face adhesive tape is attached to a plastic strip and the sampler may be hand positioned directly on the suspect test surface. Agar for specific known bacteria may be employed to saturate the porous plastic foam sampler.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to offer a microorganism-detecting apparatus where the microorganism causing a food poisoning can be detected/identified by a simple operation and also a disposal treatment can be conducted safely and surely. An apparatus for achieving the object is as follows: The apparatus for detecting microorganism as mentioned below is portable and enables one to selectively incubate and detect the microorganism (particularly those which are a cause of food poisoning) without skillfulness and the detecting apparatus containing pathogenic microorganism (such as that which is a cause of food poisoning) can be safely and surely disposed.

Abstract: A cell scraper device includes a pair of elongated handles, a blade and a pair of spaced apart pivotal joints. The handles enable a user to hold and to operate the device. Each handle has a pair of opposite ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the opposite ends. The handles are spaced apart from and disposed along one another and movable in opposite directions along their longitudinal axes. Each joint, such as a pivotal ball type or a living hinge type, pivotally joins the blade to one of a pair of adjacent ends of the handles such that the blade is pivotally movable between a closed position and an open position upon corresponding movement of the handles in the opposite directions along their longitudinal axes. The blade in the closed position is disposed at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of each handle and on a side of the handle such that the blade and handles are positioned for insertion into and removal from a culture flask.