(PRELIMINARY) QUALITY CHECK

LABORATORY PROCEDURES FOR MICROORGANISMS

REFERENCE NO.: M/1998/2.05

TITLE: (PRELIMINARY) QUALITY CHECK

From strains sent to the collection for deposit the viability and purity is tested by subculturing the original culture received.

Quality checks for archaea and bacteria:

The following tests are considered as a minimum for preliminary quality check of new deposits:

Viability:
Ÿ growth

Purity:
Ÿ agar streak plates (colony characteristics), if applicable

Characterisation:
Ÿ macroscopical: colony morphology, colony colour, growth rate (slow growing, fast growing)
Ÿ microscopical: cell form cell shape, cell motility, (cell form and cell shape may be documented by photomicrographs)

The preliminary quality check may be extended at this stage or after the preservation of the strain to a "full" quality check which includes more detailed studies of microscopical and macroscopical characteristics, selected physiological, biochemical, chemosystematic properties and DNA studies.

The preliminary quality check may be combined with the application of a commercial characterisation or identification kit (e.g. api, Biolog, or others) to obtain a metabolic profile of the strain studied.

Quality checks for fungi and yeasts:
Minimal quality check

Purity:
Ÿ visual
Ÿ microscopical (for bacteria)
Ÿ cultural (e.g. on malt-peptone agar for bacteria)

Viability:
Ÿ growth

Sporulation (sterile, moderate, good)

For the characterisation of fungi and yeasts some of the following tests must be performed:

Morphology:
Ÿ macroscopical: colony morphology, colony colour, growth rate
Ÿ Microscopical: Sexual spores, asexual spores, hyphal characteristics

Physiology:
Ÿ temperature
Ÿ pH tolerance
Ÿ osmotolerance
Ÿ specific enzyme tests
Ÿ production of specific metabolites

Biochemical characteristics:
Ÿ CoQ
Ÿ cell wall composition
Ÿ metabolic patterns
Ÿ protein patterns
Ÿ fatty acids

DNA techniques

In case the material fails the tests, the material is

rejected and the depositor informed of the reasons of the rejection and eventually requested to make a new deposit.

If the culture deposited is contaminated, the material may be purified by the collection itself.

In case of contradiction with the original identification, material may be returned to the depositor to check if it still agrees with his original characterisation.

In case the material passes the test an accession number is assigned to it (if this was not already done earlier) and the material is preserved (M/1998/3.00)

Guidelines prepared for CABRI by DSMZ, CBS and BCCM, 17 May 1998; updated August 1999
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