Solid media for bacterial and yeast species, frequently completed culture plates from the microbiology lab.
Collection of anaerobic, BL-3, fungal and virology isolates must be discussed with the specimen bank director regarding best means of collection.
Standard Procedure
Collect plates after completion of the culture.
Verify that the isolate is in pure culture, else set up new sheep’s blood agar plate with the strain and incubate at 37*C in 5% CO2 atmosphere or per appropriate conditions.
Once a pure culture has been verified, create duplicate frozen stocks of the isolate in cryovials with Tryptose Soy Broth media (TSB) and microbeads for adsorption of bacterial cells.
Use a swab to obtain a heavy inoculum of pure material from the plate and suspend in each vial.
Invert vials 5 times to mix and coat beads with bacteria.
For non-fastidious organisms, pipette off excess broth and discard.
For fastidious organisms leave excess TSB in the vials.
Store vials at -80*C.
Variations (added per request to study protocol).
Isolates can be frozen under other conditions, including with 20-50% glycerol in the media, or in media other than TSB.
Other containers: standard cryovials, 2″ crovials.
Additional aliquots (>2).
Agar slants can be made on chocolate agar or other media as needed, for pickup or shipment of isolates.
Special labeling of the tube (microbial species, sample source, etc.) as allowed in the investigator’s IRB protocol.
