Efficacy of a swab transport system in maintaining viability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Streptococcus pneumoniae

Citation
Se. Farhat et al., Efficacy of a swab transport system in maintaining viability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, J CLIN MICR, 39(8), 2001, pp. 2958-2960
Citations number
19
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Clinical Immunolgy & Infectious Disease",Microbiology
Journal title
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN journal
0095-1137 → ACNP
Volume
39
Issue
8
Year of publication
2001
Pages
2958 - 2960
Database
ISI
SICI code
0095-1137(200108)39:8<2958:EOASTS>2.0.ZU;2-A
Abstract
The efficacy of swab transport systems in maintaining viability of Neisseri a gonorrhoeae and Streptococcus pneumoniae is crucial both for establishing definitive diagnosis and for monitoring emerging resistance. We tested the efficacy of a newly modified Amies charcoal swab transport system, the Sta rSwab SP131X (Starplex Scientific, Inc., Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada), by us ing a combined total of 31 clinical and American Type Culture Collection st ock reference strains of N. gonorrhoeae and S. pneumoniae in 46 suspensions of concentrations ranging from 10(5) to 10(8) CFU/ml. Triplicate swabs per strain held at room temperature for 0, 24, and 48 h were plated without pr ior vortexing, and their growths were graded. All 31 strains were viable at 0 and 24 h. Gonococcal viability at 48 h varied considerably, even among s trains with comparable inoculum sizes, suggesting that viability might be s train dependent and confirming the different structural and growth profiles of gonococcal strains. S. pneumoniae strains showed consistent viability, with all strains recovered at all holding periods. This study demonstrates that the StarSwab SP131X is capable of maintaining the viability of N. gono rrhoeae and S. pneumoniae for at least 24 and 48 h, respectively, and reinf orces the need for adequate sampling and for timely processing of specimens to maintain optimum performance.