The establishment and maintenance of a small culture collection in Egypt with a computerized database

A major constraint for expanding biotechnology in developing countries is the tack of appropriate microbial strains and microbial genetic resources. The recently established Microbial Strain Data Network (MSDN) offers the opportunity of, at least partially, llfting these constraints, since even a small institutional culture collection with limited to moderate facilities can act as an active two-way node in the network. We describe the establlshment of a nucleus for culture collection in the biotechnology laboratory, selecting methodologies as compatible as possible with those of the Cairo MIRCEN, and in assembling a database on the collected strains using a format that lends itself to participation in the MSDN.