RE: [Norton AntiSpam] RE: FT-IR spectroscopy as a tool for rapid identification

[Guest guest]

Curtis:

Do ya'll have and use the Travel-IR?

If so, what do you think?

Tony

ps

[i worked a little bit on the development and marketing back in 1998 for SensIR

(the owner of Spectra Tech sold out, formed SenIR then sold it to s; a friend of mine developed the primary technology for both companies)

and did some video footage for them Ca. 2001

and worked on applying it to soil sample screening in 2003]

........................................................................... "Tony" Havics, CHMM, CIH, PEpH2, LLCPO Box 34140Indianapolis, IN 46234 cell90% of Risk Management is knowing where to place the decimal point...any consultant can give you the other 10%â„ This message is from pH2. This message and any attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information, and are intended only for the individual or entity identified above as the addressee. If you are not the addressee, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, you are not authorized to read, copy, or distribute this message and any attachments, and we ask that you please delete this message and attachments (including all copies) and notify the sender by return e-mail or by phone at . Delivery of this message and any attachments to any person other than the intended recipient(s) is not intended in any way to waive confidentiality or a privilege. All personal messages express views only of the sender, which are not to be attributed to pH2 and may not be copied or distributed without this statement.

-----Original Message-----From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Redington, CurtisSent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 8:58 AMTo: iequality Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] RE: FT-IR spectroscopy as a tool for rapid identification

Sharon and Group,

Interesting, but I'm not holding my breath. Since 9/11, there has been tremendous advancement in the frantic race to develop new equipment for detection of chemical, biological, or radiological weapons. The silver lining is that what's good for these purposes can often be good for more day-to-day purposes. Despite the amazing advances, biologicals remain some of the most challenging for rapid and reliable field assessment.

FT-IR has been used for gas detection and identification for many decades (e.g., Foxboro, now Thermo Electron SaphIRe). Within the last several years we've seen this technology brought to the field for identification of solids and liquids (SensIR, now s Detection TravelIR). The big catch is that detectable compounds need to have covalent bonds. Metals and salts, along with biologicals, are not readily identified.

Similar limitations with Raman laser technologies, along with color - absorbance and reflectivity (s Detection, DeltaNu, and my pick of the crop - Ahura First Defender).

However, keep an eye on developments in PCR technology. Also, it's absolutely incredible the advancements in bringing GC/MS to the field (check out the Inficon HAPSITE).

Curtis Redington, RS

Environmental Quality Specialist

City of Wichita Dept. of Environmental Health

Wichita, KS

-----Original Message-----From: iequality [mailto:iequality ]On Behalf Of snk1955@...Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 2:35 PMTo: iequality Subject: FT-IR spectroscopy as a tool for rapid identification

I have no idea what this means, but thought you all might find it of interest.

Happy New Year,

Sharon

FT-IR spectroscopy as a tool for rapid identification and intra-species characterization of airborne filamentous fungi.Fischer G, Braun S, Thissen R, Dott W.Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstrabetae 30, D-52057 Aachen, Germany.Identification of microfungi is time-consuming due to cultivation and microscopic examination and can be influenced by the interpretation of the macro- and micro-morphological characters observed. Fungal conidia contain mycotoxins that may be present in bioaerosols and thus the capacity for production of mycotoxins (and allergens) needs to be investigated to create a basis for reliable risk assessment in environmental and occupational hygiene. The present investigation aimed to create a simple but sophisticated method for the preparation of samples and the identification of airborne fungi by FT-IR spectroscopy. The method was suited to reproducibly differentiate Aspergillus and Penicillium species on the generic, the species, and the strain level. There are strong indications that strains of one taxon differing in metabolite production can be reliably distinguished by FT-IR spectroscopy (e.g. Aspergillus parasiticus). On the other hand, species from different taxa being similar in secondary metabolite production showed comparably higher similarities. The results obtained here can serve as a basis for the development of a database for species identification and strain characterization of microfungi. The method presented here will improve and facilitate the risk assessment in case of bioaerosol exposure, as strains with different physiological properties (e.g. toxic, non-toxic) could be differentiated. Moreover, it has the potential to significantly improve the identification of microfungi in various fields of applied microbiological research, e.g. high throughput screening in view of specific physiological properties, biodiversity studies, inventories in environmental microbiology, and quality control measures.PMID: 16229914 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]