Key Words

Stock culture maintenance, microbiology, quality control organisms,

storage, subculture, bacterial, fungal, reference strains, Culti-Loops

Goal
Detail suggested quality control organism stock culture maintenance and its
impact on the performance of microbiology test results.

Background
Quality control organisms are a fundamental part of any
quality assessment program for microbiology laboratories.
To ensure organism viability, proper maintenance of these
organisms is critical to achieving accurate control results
for culture media and reagents.
It is important to safeguard the purity and identity of
quality control stock cultures by limiting the potential for
contamination or alteration of growth characteristics due
to excessive sub-culturing.*
CLSI Standard, M22-A3, provides guidance for storage
and processing of quality control organisms. A visual
diagram outlining a recommended procedure for
maintaining quality control stock and working cultures is
shown on the following page.
Always review local regulatory guidelines and test
manufacturer directions for maintaining microorganisms.

Custom Quality Control Organisms

We will work with you to develop a custom quality
control organism that suits your specific needs.
Contact your local Technical Sales Representative to
request more information.

*Due to the innate growth characteristics of some microorganisms, not all strains are
suitable for stock culturing; these include, but are not limited to, anaerobic organisms,
fastidious organisms, and organisms used for susceptibility testing. Self validation is
required for stock cultures of these organism types.

References:
1. CLSI M02-A10 Vol. 29 No. 1, Performance Standard for Antimicrobial Disk
Susceptibility Tests; Approved Standard-Tenth Edition, January 2009.
2. CLSI M22-A3 Vol. 24 No. 19, Quality Control for Commercially Prepared
Microbiological Culture Media: Approved Standard Seventh Edition, April 2004.
3. CLSI M07-A8 Vol. 29 No. 2, Methods for Dilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility
Testsfor Bacteria that Grow Aerobically: Approved Standard-Eighth Edition,
January 2009.

Applicat io n No t es

Quality Matters:
Stock Culture Maintenance Protocol

Stock Culture Maintenance

Reference
Culture

Inoculate on a non-selective agar plate or slant

Sub-culture colonies from
the stock culture to a fresh
agar plate each week
Day 1

Sub-culture colonies from the working culture

to a fresh agar plate each day
Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Working
Culture

Stock
Culture

Day 8
Working
Culture

Day 15
Working
Culture

Day 22
Working
Culture

Visit our Look-Up Tool at www.remel.com/support/qclookup.aspx and quickly browse by genus,

species, and/or ATCC reference number.

The ATCC Licensed Derivative Emblem, the ATCC Licensed Derivative word mark, and the ATCC catalog marks are
trademarks of ATCC. Thermo Fisher Scientific is licensed to use these trademarks and to sell products derived from
ATCC cultures. Look for the ATCC Licensed Derivative Emblem for products derived from ATCC cultures.

thermoscientific.com/microbiology
2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. ATCC is a trademark of ATCC. All other trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.,
and its subsidiaries.

Contact Information:
International
+44 (0) 1256 841144
oxoid.info@thermofisher.com

USA
+1 800 255 6730
microbiology@thermofisher.com

991-078
July 2014