PHARMACEUTICAL
PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Read articles about pharmaceutical microbiology from Microbiologics’ experts and other field experts.
7 Rules to Follow When Writing about Microorganisms
Recalling and pronouncing peculiar microorganism names is a skill every microbiologist has mastered. However, the intricate rules for writing about microorganisms may leave even experienced microbiologists second-guessing how to annotate or spell a strain name. Our...
5 Reasons to Avoid Maintaining Stock Cultures in Your Lab
Are you certain the reference stock cultures you use for quality control are identical to the reference cultures you originally purchased? A study performed by Cross, Russel and Desai examined working cultures from eight accredited microbial testing...
Our Top Posts from 2017
To say our writers were busy in 2017 is an understatement. We shared best practices for growth promotion testing on selective media, asked for your opinion on B. cepacia testing, and reminded you why microbiologists are the coolest people in the lab. Stanley...
Dear Stanley: Tips for Performing QC on ETEST® Strips
Dear Stanley, We recently purchased your KWIK-STIK™ product to perform quality control on new lots of ETEST® strips. Do you have any tips for setting up and reading an ETEST®? Mike from Philadelphia, PA Dear Mike, KWIK-STIK is the perfect product for performing QC on...
9 Tips for Growth Promotion Testing on Selective Media
The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) created quite the challenge when it designed the growth promotion test (GPT) for selective media. Laboratories not only need to test new batches of media with less than 100 colony-forming units (CFU), the colonies must also grow on agars...
8 Microorganisms that Changed the World
Photo: 1918 flu ward at Camp Funston, Kansas (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Microorganisms triggered many events that drastically altered human history. The most notorious microbes caused mass death and destruction, but they also inspired modern medical advances often...
The Basics of Cannabis QC
Every year cannabis for medical and recreational use becomes legal in more places throughout the United States. As of 2017, 29 states and the District of Columbia (DC) have passed laws to legalize growth and distribution of the plant. Cannabis is not federally...
Cosmetics Quiz: What’s Lurking in Your Makeup Bag?
Your favorite eye shadow has been discontinued by the manufacturer. You've managed to extend the life of your palette for three years, but at what cost? Have you thought about the wide array of microbial growth that could be hiding in the shimmery square of gold...
Environmental Isolate Case File: Cladosporium cladosporioides
Cladosporium cladosporioides, although generally nonpathogenic, can cause illness. This species, along with Exserohilum rostratum and Aspergillus fumigatus, was one of the pathogens isolated during a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis due to contaminated sterile...
7 Reasons Why Your Lab Should Perform Growth Promotion Testing
Growth Promotion Test (GPT) – this combination of words might make you wince, but the test is essential for labs following pharmacopeia guidelines. GPT is more challenging than a qualitative or ecometric test. It is deemed successful if a small number of cells (100...
