PHARMACEUTICAL
PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Read articles about pharmaceutical microbiology from Microbiologics’ experts and other field experts.
The Great Debate Over B. cepacia Testing: Your Opinions and FDA Recommendations
Last month we outlined the debate for and against requiring B. cepacia testing for all nonsterile pharmaceutical, personal care products and water systems (The Great Debate Over B. cepacia Testing). At the end of the post, we asked our readers what they think – should...
The Great Debate Over B. cepacia Testing
To test, or not to test – that is the question. A frequent reason for recalls of nonsterile products is contamination with Burkholderia cepacia, a microorganism capable of causing serious illness in patients with impaired immune systems or chronic lung disease....
Environmental Isolate Case File: Pluralibacter gergoviae
Pluralibacter gergoviae can cause big headaches in cosmetic industry laboratories. It is an opportunistic pathogen that has repeatedly been isolated from personal care products. Most recently, this environmental isolate is the cause of a recall of involving flushable...
Books for Microbiologists and Anyone Who Loves Science
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” - Oscar Wilde Microbiologists have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Keep learning after you leave the lab by reading a book from this list curated by our team....
Get the Facts on Antibiotic Resistance: 18 Helpful Resources
For years, health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that antibiotic resistance is a major global threat. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance estimates that at least...
Environmental Isolate Case Files: Serratia marcescens
In 1950, a United States Navy ship spent six days spraying Serratia marcescens into the air two miles off the coast of San Francisco. The spraying was part of a biological weapon test called Operation Sea Spray. Prior to the 1950s, S. marcescens was considered to be a...
Environmental Isolate Case Files: Ralstonia pickettii
If your manufacturing processes utilize purified water or highly purified water, Ralstonia pickettii should be on your list of microorganisms to control. In fact, it has become a microorganism of concern to sterile drug manufacturers because it is capable of passing...
Environmental Isolate Case Files: Bacillus cereus
If you have isolated Bacillus cereus in your pharmaceutical manufacturing environment, you are not alone! Bacillus is one of the most common microorganisms cited in U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters associated with contamination in pharmaceutical...
Objectionable Microorganisms: Keeping Bad Bugs Out of Good Products
No pharmaceutical company wants to sell a non-sterile drug contaminated with objectionable microorganisms, but how does a company know which organisms are objectionable and how do they ensure their drugs do not contain them? An objectionable organism is one which can...
Environmental Isolate Case Files: Burkholderia cepacia complex
During 2012, an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia complex spread throughout the intensive care unit of a German hospital. The illness was traced to contaminated alcohol-free mouthwash. Though this event does not mark the first time B. cepacia complex was recovered from...
