title: Trans-isolate medium: a new medium for primary culturing and transport of Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.
abstract: A diphasic medium, Trans-Isolate medium, was developed for the transport of primary cultures of cerebrospinal fluids from patients with bacterial meningitis. It consists of a charcoal-starch agar slant and soybean-casein digest-gelatin broth buffered at pH 7.2 with 0.1 M 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid buffer. In the laboratory, this medium supported the growth and survival of stock cultures of Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae for at least 3 months. Under field conditions in Africa, cerebrospinal fluids from patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis were inoculated directly onto plates of chocolate agar medium and into bottles of Trans-Isolate medium. An etiological agent was isolated from 52 spinal fluids by direct plating. After shipment to Atlanta, Ga., 2 to 4 weeks later, the same etiological agents were recovered from 38 bottles of Trans-Isolate medium.
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D003470:Culture Media; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008583:Meningitis, Haemophilus / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media