EVALUATION OF BACTERIOLOGICAL TRANSPORT SWABS

Ten commercial transport swabs were evaluated for their ability to pre serve bacteria for 24 and 48 hours. Microorganisms included ATCC strai ns of Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobes and anaerobes, There was a wide variation in performance. Swabs using Amies plus charcoal medi um or Stuart's medium had better recovery rates than those using Amies medium alone. The nature of the tips of the swabs had little influenc e, Performance was not correlated with cost of the swabs. These data w ill assist institutions to make cost-effective decisions when purchasi ng bacteriological transport systems.