Single Use Plastic Lab Supplies Frequently Asked Questions - Dynalab Corp
Q. To what standards are Dynalab's Single Use (Sterilin®) products guaranteed?
A. Sterilin's gamma irradiated products are manufactured within ISO 9002 Class J clean room accredited quality system. They are biologically sterile, tested to a sterility assurance level of 10.3. |
Q. How accurate are Sterilin's Single Use Pipettes?
A. Dynalab's series 275 pipettes are guaranteed accuracy better then ±1%. |
Q. Can Sterilin products be manufactured to customer specifications? (i.e. logo printed, special sizes or markings)
A. Sterilin products can be customized with such things as company logotypes or custom sizes, subject to minimum order quantities. For further details please make contact with Customer Service which will be able to provide you with a detailed quotation. Telephone : 800-828-6595. |
Q: The snap on cap leaks under cold conditions?
This is a known limitation with very cold temps. You may find a simple solution is to use a small amount of sealant to help keep the seal tight. |
Q: How do I use Sterilin's Swab Rinse Kits (SRK)?
Peel open the SRK pouch and remove the sampling swab. Swab the test site. If the surface is dry pre-moisten the swab in the rinse solution provided. If a template is being used swab the designated area. After sampling break the swab applicator into the tube of rinse solution where the alginate tip will dissolve. Transport back to the laboratory as soon as possible. Plate the required dilution into the appropriate media, preferably within 4 hours of swabbing, where this is not possible refrigerate at 4°C and analyse within 24 hours of swabbing. To calculate the number of CFU's per cm2 when using the 10 x 10cm template use the following; (number of colonies x volume of rinse solution x serial dilution (if necessary))/100 |
Q: Which Sterilin swab applicator should I use?
Plastic and Wood : general use e.g. throat, vaginal, skin swabs
Wire urethral : sampling
Twisted wire : pernasal, recommended for Bordetella pertussis
Sterilin provides two sizes of tip, standard which, can be used for most applications and mintip. Sterilins minitip swabs are suitable for ear, nose, throat, eye and male urethral swab sampling. The small tip also provides a more practical device for some pediatric sampling. |
Q: What are the benefits of using Iwaki Coated Ware?
i) Help difficult cell lines to proliferate. Coated tissue culture ware can help the growth and proliferation of cell lines that do not otherwise grow well in vitro e.g. neural cells.
ii) Ease of use. Old techniques for coating tissue culture products were difficult and time consuming. Iwaki coated ware is ready made for convenient, instant use.
iii) Expiry dating and storage. All Iwaki coated ware products have at least a 12-month expiry date on them and can be stored on the shelf or in a cupboard. They do not have to be kept refrigerated. |
Q: What is in the ingredients of swab transport media?
i) Amies Medium?
Sodium Chloride
3.0g ions for cell permeability
Potassium Chloride
0.2g ions for cell permeability
Calcium Chloride
0.1g ions for cell permeability
Magnesium Chloride
0.1g ions for cell permeability
Monopotassium Phosphate
0.2g buffer
Disodium Phosphate
1.15g buffer
Sodium Thioglycollate
1.00g reducing agent
Bacteriological Agar
4.0g
Charcoal (optional)
10.0g absorbs toxins
Distilled Water
1 litre
pH7.2 - 7.4
ii) Stuart Medium?
Sodium Glycerophosphate
10.0g buffer
Calcium Choride
0.1g ions for cell permeability
Thioglycollic Acid
1.0ml reducing agent
Methylene Blue
2.0ml Eh indicator
Agar
3.0g
Distilled Water
1 litre
pH 7.4
iii) Cary-Blair?
Sodium Thioglycollate
Disodium Phosphate
Sodium Chloride
Agar
Distilled Water
pH 8.4
The most popular and commonly used agar out of the three listed above is amies (with or without charcoal). This is the media that Sterilin recommends. Cary Blair media is generally only used for Rectal/Fecal swab sampling for enteric pathogens. |
|
|
