Microbiology Lab: Transport Media Overview

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Questions and Answers

Match each specimen type with its appropriate transport guideline:

Bacterial cultures = Transport at room temperature Urine = Refrigerate within 30 minutes Respiratory specimens = Refrigerate within 1 hour Viral cultures = Transport immediately on ice

Match the type of specimen collection container with its respective requirements:

Anaerobic collection containers = Proper for anaerobic culture Leak-proof containers = Tightly sealed for specimen transport Plastic bags = Sealable and leak-proof Double bagging = Required for TB specimens

Match the identifier and requisition information with its correct description:

Patient name = One of the two patient identifiers required Hospital number = Another required patient identifier Requisition details = Includes specimen type and tests requested Date and time of collection = Must be on the requisition accompanying specimens

Match the specimen handling procedure with its importance:

Collecting culture specimens before antimicrobial administration = Helps prevent contamination Avoiding contamination with indigenous flora = Ensures accurate culture results Using swabs for collection = Considered inferior to tissue and fluid Delivering specimens immediately = Minimizes degradation of specimens Signup and view all the answers

Match the types of specimens with their specific transport conditions:

Stool specimens = Refrigerate within 1 hour Fluid specimens = Essential for fungal and mycobacterial culture Culture specimens = Collect prior to antimicrobial agents Fungal specimens = Require tissue and fluid for accurate culture Signup and view all the answers

Match the transport media with their primary uses:

Stuart Transport Medium = Throat, wound, and skin swabs for fastidious organisms Amies Medium with Charcoal = Isolating fastidious organisms by eliminating metabolic products Cary and Blair Medium = Transporting feces for Salmonella or Shigella isolation Blood Culture Transport Medium = Collection of blood samples for aerobic and anaerobic cultures Signup and view all the answers

Match the samples with their corresponding transport media:

Throat swab = Stuart Transport Medium Fecal sample = Cary and Blair Medium Urine sample = Amies Medium without charcoal Blood sample = Blood Culture Transport Medium Signup and view all the answers

Match the type of sample with its description:

Urethral swabs = Samples collected for testing sexually transmitted infections Bronchial lavage = Fluid obtained from the respiratory tract for microbial analysis Eye secretions = Samples that can indicate possible conjunctivitis or other infections Wound samples = Collected to identify pathogens in infected tissues Signup and view all the answers

Match the transport medium type with its physical state:

Stuart Transport Medium = Semi-solid Cary and Blair Medium = Semi-solid Amies Medium = Liquid Blood Culture Transport Medium = Liquid Signup and view all the answers

Match the medium characteristics with their functionality:

Transport media with carbohydrates = Preserve viability of bacteria during transport Metabolic products elimination = Increase isolation efficiency of fastidious organisms No growth factors in media = Prevent microbial multiplication during transport Semi-solid media = Facilitate preservation of organisms in specific samples Signup and view all the answers

Match the transport medium with its unique feature:

Amies Medium with Charcoal = Contains charcoal to eliminate metabolic products Cary and Blair Medium = WHO-recommended for transporting Vibrio cholerae Blood Culture Transport Medium = Multi-use for aerobic, anaerobic, and fungus cultures Stuart Transport Medium = Commonly used for specimens suspected of having gonococci Signup and view all the answers

Match the suspected pathogens with their appropriate transport media:

Salmonella = Cary and Blair Medium Mycoplasma = Amies Medium without charcoal Gonococci = Stuart Transport Medium Fungi = Blood Culture Transport Medium Signup and view all the answers

Match the sampling route with its corresponding blood culture type:

Aerobic culture = Peripheral or Line with Blue top Bottle Anaerobic culture = Peripheral or Line with Fuchsia top Bottle Fungal culture = Peripheral or Line with Blue top Bottle General culture = Stored in a variety of color-coded bottles Signup and view all the answers

Match the following specimen collection methods with their appropriate collection characteristics:

Peripheral Blood = 7-10 cc, usually for blood culture Line Blood = 1-2 cc, pediatric specimen Anaerobic Transport Medium = Maintains viability of anaerobic bacteria Viral Transport Medium = Ideal for viral diagnosis and contains antibiotics Signup and view all the answers

Match the following transport media with their specific uses:

Alkaline Peptone Water = Transport of Vibrio cholerae Sachs' Buffered Glycerol Saline = Transport of feces for dysentery testing Anaerobic Transport Medium = Prevents multiplication of anaerobic microorganisms Viral Transport Medium = Transport of respiratory and tissue swabs Signup and view all the answers

Match the following media indicators with their functions:

Phenol Red in VTM = Indicates pH integrity during collection Indicator in ATM = Turns pink when exposed to oxygen Buffered Mineral Salts in ATM = Provides a supportive medium for anaerobes Alkaline pH in APW = Inhibits growth of commensal intestinal bacteria Signup and view all the answers

Match the following types of blood collection with their descriptions:

Blood Culture = Collecting for detecting microbial infections Pediatric Blood Culture = Smaller volume collection for infants and children Line Blood Collection = Collected via intravenous lines Peripheral Blood Collection = Collected from finger or vein Signup and view all the answers

Match the following specimen types with their specified media requirements:

Fecal Specimens = Sachs' Buffered Glycerol Saline Respiratory Specimens = Viral Transport Medium Anaerobic Bacteria Collection = Anaerobic Transport Medium Vibrio Organisms = Alkaline Peptone Water Signup and view all the answers

Match the following transport media with their key features:

Bacterial Transport Media = Not suitable for viral pathogen recovery Anaerobic Transport Medium = Prepared under oxygen-free conditions Viral Transport Medium = Contains antibiotics to suppress contamination Alkaline Peptone Water = Adjusted pH to 8.4 for optimal Vibrio growth Signup and view all the answers

Match the following common types of media with their viable specimens:

Anaerobic Transport Medium = Obligate anaerobes Alkaline Peptone Water = Vibrio cholerae Sachs' Buffered Glycerol Saline = Bacillary dysentery Viral Transport Medium = Nasopharyngeal swabs Signup and view all the answers

Match the following blood collection types with their sample volume:

Peripheral Blood = 7-10 cc Line Blood = 1-2 cc Pediatric Blood Culture = 10 cc Blood Culture = Utilizes standard blood volume Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Microbiology Laboratory - Transport Media

Transport media are used for samples that cannot be processed immediately after collection. Pathogens in the samples need to be preserved
Examples of samples requiring transport media include urine, stool, blood, urethral swabs, nasal and throat swabs, bronchial and alveolar lavage, eye and ear secretions, and wounds.
The primary goal is to maintain the specimen as close to its original state as possible.
Transport media are solutions with buffers, carbohydrates, peptones, and other nutrients (excluding growth factors). They are designed to preserve bacterial viability during transport without allowing growth.
Transport media do not contain nutritional ingredients (carbon, nitrogen, or organic growth factors) to prevent microbial multiplication.

Types of Transport Media

Transport media selection varies depending on the suspected organism.
The media are categorized by physical state (semi-solid or liquid) and by type of microbe (bacteria like aerobic and anaerobic, or viruses).

Common Transport Media & Their Uses

Stuart Transport Medium: Commonly used for throat, wound, and skin swabs that may contain fastidious organisms or specimens suspected of having gonococci.
Amies Medium: Contains charcoal (helpful for eliminating bacterial metabolic products, used especially for isolating fastidious organisms) or no charcoal (ideal for isolating Mycoplasma).
Cary and Blair Medium: A semi-solid, white-colored medium used for feces that may contain Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, or Campylobacter. It is ideal and WHO-recommended for transporting Vibrio cholerae.
Blood Culture Transport Medium: Used for various blood cultures (aerobic, anaerobic, fungal, TB/AFB/Mycobacterium, and pediatric). Different containers/tubes are used for different cultures (blue, fuchsia, blue, 2-green vacutainer, yellow). Specific volume guidelines exist for each
Anaerobic Transport Medium (ATM): Maintains viability of most microorganisms, even obligate anaerobes, during collection and transport. It is prepared and packaged under oxygen-free conditions. ATM comes in various sizes (including sterile surgery packs) and often includes a chemical indicator to detect oxygen exposure by turning pink.
Alkaline Peptone Water (APW): Used for transporting Vibrio cholerae, specifically useful if Cary-Blair medium is unavailable and subculture can be done within 6 hours. The medium has an adjusted pH (8.4) that supports Vibrio growth while inhibiting other intestinal bacteria.
Sach's Buffered Glycerol Saline: Used to transport feces from patients suspected of bacillary dysentery.

Viral Transport Medium (VTM)

Used for transporting samples for viral infection diagnosis. Specific examples include nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal, ocular, respiratory, and peritoneal/tissue swabs.
VTM contains antibiotics and antimycotics to stop bacterial or fungal growth. An indicator (phenol red) turns bright fuchsia color if the pH is above 8.2, indicating the medium is functioning properly. Bacterial transport media are not suitable for virus recovery.

Specimen Transport Guidelines

Use universal precautions when collecting and handling specimens
Collect specimens before antimicrobial treatments if possible.
Avoid contamination with normal flora.
Swabs are less ideal than tissue/fluid for fungal and mycobacterial cultures.
Label specimens with patient name, birthdate, and/or hospital number.
Specimens for bacterial culture should be transported at room temperature.
Delayed transport for specimens (urine, stool, respiratory) should be refrigerated.
Specimens for viral culture should be transported on ice
Use leak-proof, sealable containers for all specimens.
Specimens for tuberculosis (TB) should be double bagged.
Proper anaerobic collection containers should be used if an anaerobic culture is requested.

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Description

Explore the essential role of transport media in microbiology laboratories. This quiz covers various types of transport media, their importance in preserving pathogens, and the best practices for sample collection and processing. Test your understanding of how transport media maintain specimen viability.