Evaluation of a commercial pressure cooker for the preparation of agar media for a diagnostic microbiology laboratory.

ABSTRACT: The ability to prepare sterilized media is a critical capability of any microbiology lab. Diagnostic labs in low-resource settings, which lack autoclave facilities, are therefore severely limited in their ability to perform basic assays such as bacterial culture or biochemical tests. This investigation aimed to validate the use of a commercially available pressure cooker as an autoclave substitute to produce agar plates. First, a Geobacillus stearothermophilus biological indicator was used to confirm adequate sterilization. Next, the colony morphology of several important bacterial species were compared on MacConkey and 5% sheep's blood agar plates prepared using the pressure cooker with those made in an autoclave. Finally, disc diffusion susceptibility testing was performed to determine w

SUBMITTER: Rubin JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12622842 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature