Quality assurance of selective culture media for bacteria, moulds and yeasts: an attempt at standardization at the international level.

To facilitate monitoring of culture media, a simple quantitative streaking technique, implying ever-decreasing numbers of colony-forming units per surface area, as in spiral plating, was developed. The procedure evaluates, in quantitative terms, the ability of media (1) to support the formation of colonies by organisms that it was designed to grow and (2) to resist colonization by organisms that it is expected to suppress. The procedure was therefore termed ecometric evaluation. The ecometric results appeared to agree well with observations made on productivity and selectivity of the media studied during routine examination of specimens. These encouraging results prompted further, rigorous standardization of ecometry. A template was developed to standardize inoculation and the depth of the agar was controlled to within +/- 10%. Finally the attributes of the inocula used were accurately defined. The standardized ecometric technique has been found useful for the following purposes: (1) to assess the practical significance of the inhibitory effect of gentamicin observed in some moulds and yeasts (this was solved by replacing poorer basal media by one particular richer modification, viz, yeast morphology agar); (2) the development of a blood-free selective enumeration medium for Campylobacter jejuni, i.e. sulphide iron motility agar plus the combination of antibiotics suggested by Skirrow (1977); and (3) verification of the absence of antimicrobial activity of enzyme preparations, e.g. catalase, used in culture media to remedy sublethal damage in certain groups of bacteria. Ecometric evaluation can now be recommended for (1) routine monitoring of consignments of dehydrated or ready-to-use, purchased media; and (2) in-house checking of the functioning of medium preparation departments. Only occasionally is it necessary to use conventional counting techniques to confirm the results.