Z-II.5. Laboratory for Culture Media Preparation and Sterilisation
The main activity of the Laboratory is preparation of microbiological culture media, sterilisation and washing of laboratory dishes. The Laboratory prepares culture media from dehydrated bases according to manufacturers’ instructions or from individual ingredients based on recipes. Currently, the Laboratory prepares approximately 120 various agars and broths. Culture media in Petri dishes, test tubes or vials are labelled with name, LOT and expiry date and stored until their use in appropriate conditions in the microbiological laboratories of the Institute which, according to their needs, order the desired types and quantities of culture media. Each series of produced culture media is controlled for its physical and microbiological characteristics (pH, thickness, colour, consistency, sterility, productivity, selectivity, specificity). Storage conditions and labelled expiry term are subject to regular controls. For the most part, the Laboratory produces culture media for Salmonella (XLD, Rambach, PPV, RVS, MKTTn, MSRV), Enterobacteriacae (VRBD, TSI), Listeria (ALOA, Oxford Fraser), Campylobacter (mCCDA, Bolton), Brucella (Farrell, Brucella agar, potato agar), Staphylococci (BP), Mycobacteria (Stonebrink, Lowenstein-Jensen), etc. Production in large quantities also includes Esculin – blood agar, Columbia blood agar, Brain Heart broth, MH agar, Nutrient agar, TSA (CASO agar), etc. In small quantities, the Laboratory produces Leptospira agar, agars for growing of fungi (Sabouraud, DG18, YGC), Clostridia (TSC), E.coli (TBX), enterococci (Kanamycin esculine azide agar), etc.
In addition to the culture media, the Laboratory also prepares sterile distilled water, saline solution (0.85% sodium - chloride) and other solutions (e.g. phosphate buffer saline (PBS), saturated salt and sugar solutions, etc.). The Laboratory has modern equipment (refrigerators, water baths, pH meter, vacuuming device, bag welding machine for sterilisation, weighing scales, professional dishwasher for laboratory dishes, chamber for weighing of powder substances, reverse osmosis systems for water deionisation, ultrapure water system, autoclaves, dry sterilisers, inspissator, laminar chamber, peristaltic pumps, inkjet printer for labelling of Petri dishes, printer for labels, etc.). Since recently, the Laboratory is equipped with a new autoclave for preparation of agars (Masterclave 09), automatic filler of Petri dishes (APS One), automatic test tube filler (XY500) and new peristaltic pump (PM05), and their purchase has brought the Laboratory to the highest state-of-the-art level. As the culture media are prepared for the laboratories of the Institute accredited by the Croatian Accreditation Agency, the applied methods and rules of operation require a management and accreditation system. This provides the required traceability in the procurement of ingredients and preparation of ready to use culture media, as well as in record-keeping, documents management and equipment calibration and maintenance.
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