Trichomonas Agar Base

Intended Use

Recommended for detection and isolation of Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida albicans from clinical specimens.

Composition**

Final pH ( at 25°C) 6.4±0.2

**Formula adjusted, standardized to suit performance parameters

# Equivalent to Liver digest

Directions

Suspend 37.5 grams in 920 ml purified / distilled water. Heat to boiling to dissolve the medium completely. Sterilize by autoclaving at 15 lbs pressure (121°C) for 15 minutes. Cool below 60°C. Inactivate 80 ml of horse serum (RM1239) adjust to pH 6.0 and add it to the medium for diagnostic work. Add SP Selective Supplement - II (FD094) to increase selectivity of the medium.

Principle And Interpretation

Trichomonas Agar is formulated as per the formulation of Feinberg and Whittington for the detection and isolation of Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida albicans from clinical specimens (1).

Stenton reported that the incorporation of liver digest in the medium plays an important role in detection of Trichomonas vaginalis (2). Addition of small quantity of agar in the medium creates a slightly reducing atmosphere which in turn favours better growth of Trichomonas species. From a mixed culture of Trichomonas and Candida, good growth of Trichomonas can be obtained as Candida does not interfere with Trichomonas. The medium is equally suitable for the examination of urethral and vaginal swabs and urine specimens.

HL digest provide the nitrogenous substances. Dextrose acts as the energy source. The selective agents chloramphenicol and penicillin (FD094) are inhibitory to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but not for Trichomonas species. Sodium chloride maintains the osmotic equilibrium of the medium. Under anaerobic conditions massive inocula are required.

Type of specimen

Clinical samples - vaginal and urethral secretions (women), anterior urethral or prostatic secretions (men)

Specimen Collection and Handling

For clinical samples follow appropriate techniques for handling specimens as per established guidelines (3,4). After use, contaminated materials must be sterilized by autoclaving before discarding.

Warning and Precautions

In Vitro diagnostic Use only. For professional use only. Read the label before opening the container. Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/ face protection. Follow good microbiological lab practices while handling specimens and culture. Standard precautions as per established guidelines should be followed while handling clinical specimens. Safety guidelines may be referred in individual safety data sheets.

Limitations

1. Further wet mount examination of infected material should be done.

Performance and Evaluation

Performance of the medium is expected when used as per the direction on the label within the expiry period when stored at recommended temperature.

Quality Control

Appearance
Light yellow to light brown homogeneous free flowing powder

Colour and Clarity of prepared medium
Dark amber coloured clear to slightly opalescent viscous solution in tubes.

Reaction
Reaction of 3.75% w/v aqueous solution at 25°C. pH : 6.4±0.2

pH
6.20-6.60

Cultural Response
Cultural characteristics observed with added inactivated Horse Serum (RM1239) and SP Selective Supplement - II (FD094), after an incubation at 35-37°C for 3-5 days.

Key : *Corresponding WDCM numbers.

Storage and Shelf Life

Store between 10-30°C in a tightly closed container and the prepared medium at 2-8°C. Use before expiry date on the label. On opening, product should be properly stored dry, after tightly capping the bottle in order to prevent lump formation due to the hygroscopic nature of the product. Improper storage of the product may lead to lump formation. Store in dry ventilated area protected from extremes of temperature and sources of ignition. Seal the container tightly after use. Product performance is best if used within stated expiry period.

Disposal

User must ensure safe disposal by autoclaving and/or incineration of used or unusable preparations of this product. Follow established laboratory procedures in disposing of infectious materials and material that comes into contact with clinical sample must be decontaminated and disposed of in accordance with current laboratory techniques (3,4).

Reference

1. Feinberg J.G. and Whittington J.M., 1957, J. Clin. Path., 10:327.
2. Stenton P., 1957, J. Med. Lab. Technol., 14:228.
3. Isenberg, H.D. Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook 2nd Edition.
4. Jorgensen, J.H., Pfaller, M.A., Carroll, K.C., Funke, G., Landry, M.L., Richter, S.S and Warnock., D.W. (2015) Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 11th Edition. Vol. 1.