Lab M

Microbiology culture media from UK-based Lab M will be on show in Dubai next year when the company exhibits on Stand Number 621 as a guest of Global Scientific Trading LLC, its
distributor for the United Arab Emirates. The Global Scientific Trading stand will also feature products from Biohit, Carlo Erba Reagenti and Faster S.r.l. Lab M develops and manufactures media for a wide range of applications, most notably in food
microbiology, where controlling foodborne infection is a challenge to manufacturers and public health services alike, and for the clinical market. As part of the continuing expansion of Lab M’s business and customer support world wide, export sales manager Colin LeGood is looking forward to making new connections in Dubai. “We are seeking to extend our distributor network and look forward particularly to meeting companies operating in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria and Lebanon,” he said.

Microbiology specialist Lab M is launching the first product in its new range of dehydrated culture media for the isolation of Cronobacter sakazakii. Formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii, this largely environmental organism has been associated with serious infections in newborns fed on infant formula milk. Lab M’s range will include both broth and chromogenic media, and is designed to meet the various testing regimes of different laboratories. The first in what will soon be a series of three new media is HAL012 Harlequin CSIM (Harlequin Cronobacter sakazakii Isolation Medium). A chromogenic medium, this product uses the formulation currently recommended as part of the isolation protocol under ISO/TS 22964:2006(E) for C. sakazakii from milk, infant formula and other milk products.

Lab M’s brewing industry range includes microbiological culture media for the accurate, fast, reliable detection and isolation of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces wild yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and a variety of other microorganisms important in brewing processes. The range, which comprises
industry-specific, high quality dehydrated culture media, provides a complete microbiology solution for the modern brewing laboratory. The range is headed by the widely used Lysine Agar (LAB201), a complex medium for the isolation and enumeration of wild yeasts in pitching yeast, made to the original formulation described by Morris and Eddy. The growth of pitching yeast is suppressed, as - unlike wild yeasts – it is unable to utilise lysine.

With water monitoring playing an important role in controlling Legionella, Lab M’s BCYE (buffered charcoal yeast extract) Legionella Isolation Medium is finding increasing application. It is used particularly for water samples concentrated by membrane filtration or centrifugation. The medium is based on the charcoal yeast extract formulation of Feeley et al, with the addition of ACES (N-2-acetamido-2-aminoethane-sulphonic acid) buffer and α-ketoglutarate for enhanced performance. It
is detailed in internationally recognised methodology for the isolation of Legionella species from water samples. A range of selective supplements, used in conjunction with heat and acid treatments, aid isolation from water heavily contaminated with other bacteria.

Capable of detecting Salmonella species within 24 hours, Modified Semi-solid Rappaport Vassiliadis (MSRV) medium is one of a range of products from Lab M devoted to the detection and isolation of these organisms. MSRV medium offers a simple and rapid means of detecting motile strains of Salmonella, even if they are outnumbered by competitive bacteria by a factor of 107. MSRV medium is inoculated directly from pre-enrichment culture to the centre of the plate. Motile organisms spread through the semi-solid agar, with non-Salmonella being inhibited by selective agents in the medium. Spreading growth following overnight incubation indicates that Salmonella may be present. This is substantiated if a paper disc with polyvalent H antiserum has been included on the plate, and a zone of inhibition can be seen around it.

Clostridium perfringens is widely distributed in the environment, since its spores can survive cooking and subsequently germinate to form vegetative cells, it is an important cause of food poisoning. Lab M’s Perfringens Agar–OPSP is designed for the enumeration of C. perfringens in foods, and the company’s Perfringens Agar Base (TSC) is used in the preparation of Tryptose Sulphite Cycloserine (TSC) Agar for the enumeration and presumptive identification of the organism. Perfringens Agar OPSP uses a combination of sulphadiazine, oleandoymcin & polymyxin to achieve selectivity, whilst cycloserine is used with the TSC formulation. Both OPSP and TSC combine sodium metabisulphite & ferric ammonium citrate to form the basis of the indicator system with which C. perfringens reduces sulphite, producing the black colonies synonymous with these media.