THE GATEWAY TO MICROBIOLOGY™ The Microbiology Manual Spring 2012 About Lab M Our Heritage Lab M has long enjoyed an international Established in 1971, Lab M initially reputation for the high quality of its dehydrated manufactured pre-poured media for clinical culture media, particularly for the culture laboratories in London and the North West of and isolation of anaerobes. The introduction England — and its name, London Analytical of Harlequin™ chromogenic media, the and Bacteriological Media, reflects its origins. company´s development of ISO compliant media formulations for food industry testing, During the 1970s, the company developed its and the provision of services such as the own dehydrated culture media, and by the early SMART QA Proficiency Testing scheme have 1980s had added consumables and diagnostics all confirmed Lab M´s leading position. to its product list. At that time Lab M was the Lab M also supplies bulk peptones, extracts only UK supplier offering such a range, and and other raw materials to pharmaceutical with a growing reputation for quality it soon and large-scale fermentation industries, in became the ideal supplier for medium-sized compliance with current EDQM certification. industrial laboratories. Custom-designed and custom-blended products are also a speciality. In recent years we have continued to flourish, with Lab M consolidating its position as an Lab M is certified in accordance with ISO innovative producer of reliable, high quality 9001:2000 and ISO 13485; products for the microbiology products. clinical market are supplied in compliance with the European IVD directive and carry the CE mark. The Future The Lab M team combines decades of Lab M’s Research and Development Group knowledge and experience with their customer works in collaboration with key institutions commitment ethic to ensure that you, the and industry leaders to develop and trial customer, receive the best possible attention new products that give faster results at lower and service. cost. Conventional culture remains the most cost-effective and reliable way to enrich From R&D through to sales and support, and enumerate micro-organisms in complex expertise and knowledge characterise the Lab samples, but we are also developing DCM M teams. Solving application challenges, products designed for faster methods such as providing technical assistance and ensuring ELISA and PCR. that customers get the best from their products are all part of the service. Our proven magnetic bead technology can isolate and concentrate target organisms and, through our emerging chromogenic and fluorogenic products, we can culture and isolate specific groups of organisms with the presumptive diagnostic power of the chromogenic/fluorogenic reaction. © 2012 Lab M Limited Lab M, Captivate, Harlequin, ColourScreen, Pinnacle, SMART QA and The Gateway to Microbiology are trade marks of Lab M Limited. 1 CONTENTS Introduction 03 ISO Accreditation 04 Customised Media Service 05 Quality Criteria 06 Quality Control of Culture Media 07 Preservation of Stock Cultures 08 Microbiology Methods 10 Dehydrated culture media selection guide 11 Dehydrated Culture Media 14 Harlequin™ Chromogenic Media 94 Biomolecular Products 100 Captivate™ Immunomagnetic Separation 105 Lyophilised Media Supplements 107 Media Constituents 117 Sterile Additives and Ready Prepared Media 124 Indexes 129 2 3 4 Customised Media Service Lab M Culture Media: The Process Outline The Lab M Customised Media Service Since its inception, Lab M has been committed to customer needs by offering a wide range of quality media products RAW MATERIALS for global markets. Our continued programme of product Agars, Peptones, Extracts, Dyes, Chemicals etc. innovation and development has ensured that the Company Each component is individually tested for suitability. has been responsive to market trends and changes in custom and practice. The increasing importance of regulatory compliance has also been a significant factor in this process of innovation. From time to time, however, Lab M has been asked to ‘design’ media to meet specific customer applications. This has evolved into a more proactive approach to resolving customer needs: PRODUCTION The Lab M Customised Media Service. Weighing, Milling, Blending Aproduction batch is made from raw materials of specified What do we offer? batch number which have been pre-tested for compatibility. The components are individually milled to ensure uniform • Individually designed media, engineered to meet specific particle size. Weighings are double checked before the components are blended. customer requirements. • Close client collaboration. • Development programmes that are both cost and time efficient. • A process approach to development, commencing with feasibility tests, through product trials and into routine QUALITY CONTROL production. Physical, Biological parameters. Comparison with previous batch and competition • Customised packaging and labelling. Quality control first checks that the batch is completely Assurance of compliance with regulatory requirements. blended, then a series of physical and biological tests • are performed to ensure the product meets the exacting standards required by our customers. Comparisons with • Total client confidentiality. previous and competitor’s batches are made. Results are recorded and a reference sample stored. • Intellectual Property options. • Post-development consultancy. • Commitment to on-going production. • Quality products and service. BOTTLING This is a unique service that differentiates us from our Into 500g sealed containers, or bulk containers at request competitors and our Technical Support Group would be happy Automated equipment delivers pre-weighed amounts into containers which are hermetically sealed. Each to discuss your needs on a confidential basis. container is immediately labelled with product details, code and batch number. CUSTOMERS Lab M products are dispatched all over the world to microbiologists in all types of laboratory. Strict batch traceability in accordance with ISO9001 ensures we can recall all products if necessary, safeguarding your products/process. 5 Lab M Culture Media – Dehydrated Culture Media The quality criteria Storage Dehydrated media stored unopened under optimal conditions have a shelf life of 2-5 years but once the container is opened the contents Raw materials should be used within six months. In-house quality control by the user Peptones and Extracts – Clarity, pH, moisture, growth promoting will help determine the condition of product in opened containers. properties with Gram positive and Gram negative organisms The best conditions for storing dehydrated media are in a cool, even aerobically and anaerobically, freedom from toxicity. Compatibility temperature away from any sources of moisture such as washing up with other components, haemolysis patterns, antibiotic antagonists. areas or laboratory autoclaves and away from strong light. Storage in a refrigerator is generally not recommended (unless otherwise stated on Agar – Clarity, pH, gel strength, melting point, setting point, heavy the product label) as there is the risk of condensation on the container metal content (particularly Ca++, Mg++) compatibility with other when it is brought out of the refrigerator. Storage instructions for Lab components. Clarity on re-melt. M media products are stated on the product label. Bile Salts – Clarity, pH, thin layer chromatography, compatibility with other components. TABLE 1 – Deterioration of SS Agar stored in various conditions for 6 months. Dyes & Chemicals – pH, chemical parameters, growth promotion inhibition, properties after incorporation into culture media. Storage conditions moisture gain % Unopened bottle stored in cool, Production dark, dry conditions 0 Loose cap, stored in light on bench 1.1 All components from specified batch numbers. All components weighed accurately and checked. Loose cap, stored in light in autoclave room 4.4 Components milled to uniform particle size. Components blended for specified time, multiple samples taken to ensure thorough blending. The effect of the moisture gain on the performance of the agar can be quite dramatic. A 1.1% gain in moisture on storage will lead to a 53% reduction in the numbers of Salmonella isolated. Similarly a 4.4% gain in moisture will result in a 78% reduction in isolation rate. This demonstrates the importance of ensuring the container lid is Quality control tightly closed and the pot stored in cool, dry, dark conditions. Barry, A. L. and Fay, G. D. A review of some common sources of error in the Physical – pH, clarity, gel strength, colour, heat stability, viscosity, Preparation of Agar Media. (1972). Am. J. Med. Tech. Vol. 38 No. 7. redox. When a container is opened for the first time the date should be noted Biological – Growth characteristics, productivity ratio, chemical on the container. Dehydrated media should not be used if it shows any reactions and colour changes, comparison with previous batch and sign of moisture gain i.e. becomes lumpy or discoloured. The lid on competition. the container should be replaced quickly after media has been taken out and closed tightly. Preparing Culture Media Weighing Out Using a top-pan balance with an accuracy of ±0.1 gram the powder should be spooned onto a weighing boat or clean beaker. Do not tip the media out of the container as this will cause excess dust which Quality Assured may be irritating and will certainly need cleaning up. The components of some formulations