Survival of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria in a nonsupportive gassed transport system

Survival of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria in a commercially available, non-supportive, gassed (oxygen-free) transport container (Anaport) was evaluated quantitatively. Saline-suspended obligate anaerobes survived significantly better in the gassed container in aerobic control tubes (P less than 0.025, t test), and counts were virtually unchanged after 8 h of holding. Similarly, initial counts and relative proportions of a mixture of Bacteroides fragilis and Staphylococcus aureus were maintained for 72 h. The value of the gassed transport system was less apparent when microorganisms were suspended in nutrient broth. The major advantage of the gassed transport system appears to be for holding of specimens collected by saline irrigation.