There is a wonderful methods book Methods in General and Molecular
Bacteriology edited by Philipp Gerhardt. Here is the link to amazon.com with
the reference
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1555810489/qid=1039118552/sr=2-1/ref=
sr_2_1/002-1939933-5691258
You will find several methods of preservation of microorganisms. The best
is to use the method recommended for your particular species.
There are other books you can look for in the library, too.
If you are working with sporulating fungi, I guess you could store spores
for pretty long at -20 or -80. No freeze drying would be required. However,
again, you should consult established protocols first.
Another source of useful information would be websites of type culture
collections like www.atcc.org or www.dsmz.de
Emir
"Sara Caldwell" <jnskc at uas.alaska.edu> wrote in message
news:3DEFA088.38E384F3 at uas.alaska.edu...
> Everyone,
> Thank you for all the great information! Thankfully, we already had the
> plates in plastic bags. I expect when we have to make new media we will
> switch to agar slants and wrap the caps in an extra layer of parafilm.
> I just hate wasting materials. If the plates do last for even two
> months then I won't have to toss them out unused. :)
> Your replies actually generated new questions. For instance, a freeze
> dryer was uncovered downstairs. What would be the protocol for using
> one to freeze bacteria?
>> Sara Caldwell
> University of Alaska Southeast
>> P.S. Are people finding that spammers snag addresses off this board?
>> JEDilworth wrote:
> >
> > Not until Spring, 2004. When we made home-made media without blood
> > enrichment in our medical microbiology laboratory we used to put an
> > outdate of six months on them. You can try subbing organisms on to them
> > periodically to see if they still work. Even if you wrap them in
> > plastic, the plastic will breathe and the plates will end up getting
> > dried out.
> >
> > How are you keeping the organisms alive? Are you planning on using this
> > media? It will work for awhile, but you'll seriously need to consider
> > freezing at -70 Degrees F (or minimally at -20 degrees F but that
> > doesn't work that well), or subbing weekly to media. At about the six
> > month mark you'll probably be making a new batch of media to sub onto.
> > Why not make some slants? Those will store your subs better. What
> > organisms are you saving?
> >
> > I'm sure other people on the group will have ideas also.
> >
> > Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
> > Microbiology
> >
> > Sara Caldwell wrote:
> > >
> > > We poured too many plates for microbiology this term. We want to keep
> > > the cultures we have alive till spring of 2004 when the class is next
> > > taught. How long will the following refrigerated un-inoculated plates
> > > keep? Brain Heart Infusion, MacConkey, Nutrient, and Tripticase Soy
> > > Agar plates?
