Microbiologists from the Agriculture and Life Sciences Division at Lincoln University have successfully carried out independent tests on a container, available from local supermarkets (Click Clack canisters), that provides a simple and effective way to grow bacteria in the absence of air.
That in itself, may not sound very interesting until you realise that the technology previously available was both expensive, difficult to use and just about ruled out the collection of bacteria samples from the field because they tended to die quickly when exposed to the air.
This trial was part of a research project that Grant Bennett, a PhD candidate from the Cell Biology Group at the University, is undertaking that requires him to grow (culture) the bacteria that cause footrot in sheep and goats.
Bacteria (colloquially called “bugs”) come in two main types – those that use oxygen to grow and those that die if they get anywhere near oxygen (called anaerobes). Many of the pathogenic (nasty) bugs that cause disease in animals (and people) are bugs that don’t need oxygen to grow and this causes problems when the bug causing harm needs to be identified in the laboratory, e.g. gangrene.
What Grant did was use a standard and readily available Click Clack canister from the “Stack and Seal” range to grow his bugs in.
“This way of growing bugs is far cheaper, convenient, saves preparation time and, overall, is easier to do,” said Grant.
“Using these canisters has given a real boost to my work because they are far easier to use for taking samples in the field – in my case from sheep’s feet. Samples of bugs can be placed immediately in an environment without oxygen. Previously, they would have to remain in air (which is poisonous to them) for up to four hours before arriving back at the laboratory.”
John Heng, Group Chief Executive from Click Clack, said he was delighted with the results from Grant’s experiments.
“While we knew that our Stack and Seal canisters were airtight due to testing before releasing for sale, it is good to have this confirmed by an independent source and know that they function under rigorous conditions in the field.”
Grant grew a whole range of anaerobic bacteria in the Click Clack canisters and was delighted to find that all grew successfully (albeit, slowly, as usual).
The air is removed from the Click Clack canisters containing the dishes of bugs when Grant opens a sachet of an oxygen-depleting chemical that releases carbon dioxide on contact with air and is combined with an indicator that shows when anaerobiosis is achieved and maintained.
These “Stack and Seal” Click Clack canisters, already used in some clinical diagnostic laboratories, are made from three different kinds of plastic, and are reusable, highly durable and very cheap.
Grant’s work, supervised by Dr Jon Hickford investigated the bacterium that causes footrot – a major cause of economic losses to the sheep industry in New Zealand.
His research has been accepted for publication in the international science journal, Anaerobe.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Janette Busch, Technical Writer
Lincoln University, Canterbury
Tel: 64 3 325 2811 ext 8114
Email: Janette Busch