In
addition to selecting the right culture media, the use of an appropriate
neutraliser is important in relation to surface, and some personnel, monitoring.
Neutralisers are required to overcome any residues left by disinfectants, as
can be found on cleanroom surfaces or on the gloved hands of personnel. The use
of a neutraliser within the culture media formulation is also necessary to
overcome residues from antimicrobial compounds so that a false negative is
avoided.
The
use of a neutraliser is recommended in the biocontamination control standard
ISO 14698;3 and, outside of pharmaceuticals, the cosmetics microbiological test
standard ISO 21149 contains some useful advice on neutraliser selection.
Tim
Sandle has written a new paper on the topic of neutralisers for culture media.
The introduction reads:
“The
selection of an appropriate neutraliser is not straightforward. The neutraliser
must be non-toxic to the microorganisms expected to be recovered; be able to
stop residual disinfectant activity; and, in use. This latter requirement often
proves the most challenging. This article examines the most common neutralisers
used; some of the problems associated with their selection; and the
complexities around using the most appropriate neutralisers in the culture media
most commonly used in the environmental monitoring programme.”
The
reference is:
Sandle,
T. (2018) Avoiding environmental monitoring ‘false negatives’: overcoming
disinfectant residues with culture media neutralisers, European Pharmaceutical Review, 23 (4): 18-21
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle,
Pharmaceutical Microbiology
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