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Observations on environmental contamination in a microbiological laboratory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

R. W. S. Harvey ,
T. H. Price  and
D. H. M. Joynson
R. W. S. Harvey
Affiliation:
Regional Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff
T. H. Price
Affiliation:
Regional Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff
D. H. M. Joynson
Affiliation:
Regional Public Health Laboratory, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff
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Contamination of a laboratory environment with pathogenic or non-pathogenic micro-organisms may be relevant to safety of technicians and quality of technical performance. Two widely separated incidents in 1968 and 1974 initiated a study of aspects of the laboratory environment. Water-baths, water of syneresis and portions of salmonella cultures spurting out of the sterilizing flame were examined. The water of water-baths was shown to be contaminated from the fluid cultures incubated in them. This raised questions of potential cross-contamination and reporting of false positives. Water of syneresis was sometimes contaminated with salmonellas. A few quantitative counts were made. The range of counts varied between 16 salmonellas per ml. and 13,000,000 salmonellas per ml. Five hundred portions of salmonella cultures and 571 portions of Shigella sonnei cultures which had spurted from the sterilizing flame were examined. All these samples failed to grow salmonellas or shigellas.

Precautions necessary to avoid environmental contamination are briefly discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , February 1976 , pp. 91 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1976

References

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