We want to test our cultures for sterility but there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to do this. Are you aware of any rapid tests for sterility like you see for endotoxin?
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How to minimize contamination risk and protect your cultures
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Company: Corning
Job Title: Scientific Supporting Specialist supporting EMEA regions
Answer
Typical tests of sterility require a long incubation (14 days) period to determine growth of contaminants. There are some more rapid tests available on the market that will give you results in less time, sometimes as short as three days. However, we have not internally tested these methods so unfortunately cannot give you guidance into their validity or performance. You will need to set up a testing procedure that is relevant to your specific needs. Below is a link to a 2015 review article comparing some method types and considerations for each. https://journals.sagepub.com/