Evaluating the effectiveness of transport media on Shiga toxin-producing E. coli serotypes
Baumann, Nicholas W.; West, A.; Phebus, Randall K.
One of the key issues involved in accurately testing beef and the environment for the
presence of specific bacteria, particularly pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing
Escherichia coli (STEC), is maintaining the viability of the microorganisms when
transporting samples from the field to the laboratory. This process may take up to three
days when considering collection, shipping and laboratory preparation times. Allowing
the target bacteria to increase or decrease in numbers during transit is undesirable, so
samples must be kept chilled and the media used for transport must offer a stable but
non-nutritive environment. Three commonly used non-selective transport media were
evaluated for their ability to maintain original STEC levels during transport. Holding
temperature may vary during shipping, so this study evaluated two separate temperatures
as co-variables.
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