A microbial culture system for use in remote field environments.

Field studies of human flora carried out in remote environments are often compromised by problems associated with media, equipment or cargo limitations. For the International Biomedical Expedition to Antarctica an anaerobic culture system was developed based on sealed vials, pre-reduced anaerobically sterilized media, antibiotic selective media and compact processing equipment. The system proved simple to use in a harsh environment and gave results comparable with standard plate and roll-tube techniques. No problems with dehydration, contamination or oxidation were encountered. Furthermore, the system preserved viability of primary isolates for up to 6 months of storage.