New Transport System for Clinical Anaerobic Bacteria

This project will produce improved media for the preservation of anaerobic bacteria duringtransport of specimens from the patient to the clinical laboratory. The ability of Oxyrase (R), anoxygen-reducing enzyme system, to produce anaerobic conditions in transport media is evaluated. SterileOxyrase is added to three commonly used media and the survival of test organisms is compared tosurvival in the same media containing sodium thioglycollate or cysteine. These agents are frequentlyused to achieve anaerobic conditions. The media is challenged over a period of several days by theintroduction of small amounts of air. Samples are removed for quantitative enumeration of livingbacteria. After conditions that optimize the performance of the Oxyrase system are established, theability of media to preserve anaerobes in the presence of aerobic and facultative bacteria is evaluated.The shelf-life at different temperatures of Oxyrase-containing transport media is also determined. Finally,the Oxyrase transport media is tested in a clinical laboratory for their ability to preserve a large groupof anaerobes in the presence and absence of facultative and aerobic bacteria.