Studies on the inhibitory properties of sodium thioglycollate on the germination of wet spores of clostridia

Abstract

SUMMARY: Wet spores of fourteen strains ofClostridium, representing eight species, were enumerated in four different types of thioglycollate agar and in a similar medium in which thioglycollate was replaced by cysteine-HCl. Thioglycollate appeared to be toxic, in principle, to almost all strains tested, although the degree of toxicity was influenced by other components of the medium. These experiments entirely confirm earlier observations and must lead to the conclusion that the use of thioglycollate in sterility test media should be discontinued and that cysteine-HCl should be used as the redox potential reducing compound instead.