Smith David
CABI Bioscience UK Centre, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, UK.
Int Microbiol. 2003 Jun;6(2):95-100. doi: 10.1007/s10123-003-0114-3. Epub 2003 May 14.
Culture collections have the crucial role of providing the authenticated biological material upon which high quality research is based. Importantly, they serve as repositories for strains as part of patent deposits, providers of safe and confidential services to store key organisms for research and industry, and sources of organisms cited in scientific papers that can be used in the confirmation of results and for further study. The demands upon culture collections change as new technologies and uses of organisms are discovered. Many are becoming Biological Resource Centres, as defined by the OECD Biological Resource Centre (BRC) Initiative, in that they operate according to international quality criteria, carry out essential research, enhance the value and applications of strains and provide a vital information resource. In a changing international scientific environment, many collections are under threat of extinction because of inadequate funding, changing government support strategies and the cost of new technologies. We are also suffering a decline in the number of biosystematists, who are needed to form a sound base for molecular technologies and to aid in identifying, and characterizing microbial diversity. In this environment, collections must work together to make the best use of new technologies and to contribute to the description of the 1.4 million fungi yet to be discovered. At the current rate, this will take 700 years. New technologies and novel ways of funding this task must be engaged and, above all, scientists must collaborate. Common policies are necessary to address the regulatory demands on collections, to control access to dangerous organisms, and, in particular, to enforce the Convention on Biological Diversity. Countries that hold the majority of biodiversity require support in building the facilities required to explore their hidden resource. The World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) and, in Europe, the European Culture Collection Organisation (ECCO) have a key role to play. The world must benefit from its microbial diversity, which is crucial to solving increasing problems in food provision, public health and poverty alleviation.
菌种保藏中心在提供经鉴定的生物材料方面发挥着关键作用，高质量的研究正是基于这些材料开展的。重要的是，它们作为专利保藏菌株的储存库，为科研和产业界安全保密地储存关键生物材料，同时也是科学论文中引用的生物材料来源，可用于结果验证和进一步研究。随着新的生物技术和生物应用的发现，对菌种保藏中心的需求也在不断变化。许多菌种保藏中心正按照经济合作与发展组织（OECD）生物资源中心（BRC）倡议的定义，转型为生物资源中心，即它们依据国际质量标准运作，开展基础研究，提升菌株的价值和应用，并提供重要的信息资源。在不断变化的国际科学环境中，许多菌种保藏中心因资金不足、政府支持策略的变化以及新技术成本等因素，面临着灭绝的威胁。我们还面临着生物系统分类学家数量的减少，而他们对于构建分子技术的坚实基础以及协助识别和描述微生物多样性至关重要。在这种环境下，各菌种保藏中心必须携手合作，充分利用新技术，为尚未被发现的140万种真菌的描述做出贡献。按照目前的速度，这需要700年。必须采用新技术和新颖的资金筹集方式来完成这项任务，最重要的是，科学家们必须开展合作。需要制定共同政策，以应对菌种保藏方面的监管要求，控制对危险生物的获取，特别是要执行《生物多样性公约》。拥有大部分生物多样性的国家在建设探索其隐藏资源所需的设施方面需要得到支持。世界菌种保藏联盟（WFCC）以及在欧洲的欧洲菌种保藏组织（ECCO）都发挥着关键作用。世界必须从其微生物多样性中受益，这对于解决粮食供应、公共卫生和减贫等日益严重的问题至关重要。
