PURPOSE: To count the number of the title live cells by minute unit by irradiating a cell, through which cell specimens are passed, with excitation light from a light source having wavelength to excite a fluorescent substance accumulated in the cells, receiving fluorescence emitted from the cells by a receptor element and detecting the output by a counter.
CONSTITUTION: A target measurement specimen containing cells of microorganism is sent from a line P1 to a reactor V1, a solution of a fluorescent substance such as fluorescen diacetate (FDA) in acetone is fed from a line P2 to the reactor V1, live cells in the specimen are reacted with FDA in the reactor V1 to accumulate fluorescein in the cells, the fluorescein is fed to a rectangular cell V2 having a crosssectional shape which is perpendicular to flow direction of the measurement part and long in the lateral direction and short in the longitudinal direction, the cell V2 is irradiated with excitation light from a light source 1 having wavelength required to excite the fluorescent substance accumulated in the cells, fluorescence emitted from the cells from the front part long in the lateral direction is received by a receptor element 7 and the output of the receptor element 7 is measured by a pulse counter 9 to count the number of microorganism cells.
UEDA RYOHEI
DOI TAKASHI
ONISHI TAKASHI
MATSUMOTO KAZUNORI
