Applicat io n No t es

Quality Matters:
Stock Culture Maintenance Protocol

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 References:

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.
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.

*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.
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Reference
Stock Culture Maintenance
Culture
Inoculate on a non-selective agar plate or slant

Sub-culture colonies from

Sub-culture colonies from the working culture
the stock culture to a fresh
to a fresh agar plate each day
agar plate each week

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Stock Working
Culture Culture

Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14

Working
Culture

Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21

Working
Culture

Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25 Day 26 Day 27 Day 28

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.
®
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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

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and its subsidiaries.

Contact Information:
International USA
+44 (0) 1256 841144 +1 800 255 6730 991-078
oxoid.info@thermofisher.com microbiology@thermofisher.com July 2014