[Improving bacteriological diagnosis by using culture medium during transport of specimens (author's transl)]

It is well known that long transport diminishes the chances of isolating causative micro- organisms, especially from swabs. In a trial, in which beta-haemolytic streptococci were kept for 24-hours at room temperature, culturing failed even if more than one million bacteria had been placed on the swab. Culture medium consisting of agar with 0.5% human albumin made it possible to isolate beta-haemolytic streptococci even after transport and with a count of less than a hundred micro-organisms per swab. The use of selective nutrient media may be necessary because of the sometimes marked multiplication during transport when there are mixed organisms. The nutrient medium was used during six small epidemics of scarlet fever in Freiburg and proved superior to the usual dry swab. In parallel studies of patients and contacts the causative beta-haemolytic streptococcus was isolated three times as often.