Holding Media for the Transport of Vibrio Cholerae from Field to Laboratory *

Abstract

Fecal specimens for culture of Vibrio cholerae may be transported to the laboratory with the expectation of a high rate of recovery, depending on the type of transport medium used. Alkaline, bile-salt, tellurite peptone broth has proved to be the method of choice at the Pakistan-SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory. This medium is ideal for transporting specimens from field to laboratory and for short-term enrichment. Other media are also useful, especially if long delays are anticipated; in this study, alkaline, bile-salt peptone broth with tellurite-impregnated swabs, Cary-Blair medium, and the sea-salt medium of Venkatraman and Ramakrishnan maintained V. cholerae as long as 4 weeks. Buffered glycerol saline solution proved too inhibitory for either short-term or long-term holding.