News
19-June-2006 - ATCC launches web-based standards search
tool
ATCC® (American Type Culture Collection) has announced the
launch of a searchable web-based resource for cross-referencing
ATCC strains with a database of widely used and agreed upon test
methods and laboratory procedural standards
Part of the ATCC Standards Programme, the web-based resource is
a searchable database of standard microbiology test methods and
commercial assays that is linked to information on ATCC’s
collection of reference micro-organisms. The search tool allows
scientists and laboratory professionals to determine which
ATCC-held bacteria, viruses, fungi or cell lines are specified in a
particular standardised test method or procedure.
“This standards resource will be a tremendous help for
communities of scientists in clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical
development, quality control microbiology and a host of other
fields in which micro-organisms are used for testing,” said
Joseph Perrone, ScD, Vice President for the Standards Programme at
ATCC. “Users can quickly and easily find information about
high-quality ATCC reference materials that are used in a wide range
of tests and protocols.”
ATCC cultures are commonly used as standard controls in areas as
diverse as clinical laboratory testing, environmental monitoring
and pharmaceutical development. They are also used widely in
microbiology testing for industrial-scale manufacturing of foods,
beverages, textiles, paint, cosmetics and personal care products.
Professional organisations and government agencies draft procedural
standards for microbiology assays and tests that often specify the
use of particular ATCC strains.
For example, ATCC strains are cited in agreed upon standard
protocols for testing the efficacy of an antibiotic or cleaning
technique such as hand washing or steam sterilisation. They are
also used as controls when testing for the ability of a product,
such as paint or preserved lumber, to resist microbial attack.
Other ATCC materials are cited in standard procedures for microbe
identification.
Users of the ATCC Standards Resource can enter a specific
protocol that has been established as a consensus standard. The
standards resource will return information about the ATCC reference
materials necessary for carrying out that standard procedure.
Alternatively, researchers can search for a particular ATCC
standard reference micro-organism and view all standards-related
information associated with that material.
Standards resource users can search standard test methods by
name or number of the organisation or company that developed it, or
by the number of the test that calls for ATCC strains. They can
access product page descriptions for the cultures specified. As the
exclusive distribution partner for ATCC in Europe, the web-based
standards resource can be accessed through the LGC Promochem’s
website at http://www.lgcpromochem.com/atcc/
Elizabeth Jordain, General Manager, LGC Promochem said: “The
new web-based standards tool will be a fantastic resource for all
our European customers. As a leader in the field of reference
materials and standards to support analysis and quality control
testing, LGC Promochem is delighted to work with ATCC in bringing
this innovative service to the European scientific
community.”
For over eighty years, ATCC has played a key role in the area of
standards. ATCC uses meticulous characterisation and preservation
methods that maintain reference materials in a manner that permits
reproducibility of results across time and among laboratories
around the world.
Notes to Editors