Spore Strips and Suspensions

Raven offer a comprehensive range of biological spore strips and spore suspensions.
Spore Strips are used to validate and routinely monitor the various types of sterilisation processes.
Spore Strips provide a biological challenge to the sterilisation cycle.

Varieties of Spore Strips

Raven manufactures and sells a full range of biological indicators (spore strips) and spore suspensions in various populations. Standard populations on strips include the following :

• Bacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC #7953 : ATCC #12980).
  These strips are used to validate and determine the adequacy of steam or chemical vapor sterilisation. Each strip contains a standard spore population of 10⁵ (10⁶ for validation procedures).
• Bacillus subtilus (ATCC #9372).
  These strips are used to validate and determine the adequacy of ethylene oxide or dry heat sterilisation. For validation and routine monitoring each strip contains a standard spore population of 10⁶.
• Bacillus pumilus (ATCC #27142).
  These strips are used to validate and monitor gamma radiation sterilisation. Each strip contains a standard population of 10⁶.
• Other populations are available on request.

Procedure for use :

A minimum of two test strips in glassine paper should be introduced into the sterilistion chamber along with the material to be sterilised. At the end of the sterilisation process the strips should be aseptically removed from the glassine paper and transfered to the recovery media (tryptic soy broth). The media with the strip should then be incubated at 56ºC for the recovery of B.stearothermophilus or 35ºC for the recovery of B.subtilus or B.pumilus. A control strip which has not been subjected to the sterilisation process should also be incubated at this time in recovery media. The tubes of media should be checked for growth as described in the instructions accompanying each pack of strips.

Certification

Each pack of strips contains instructions for use, certification of population, D-value and where appropriate, Z-value. The certification also includes the expiration date which at the time of shipping is normally a minimum of 18 months. All strips are manufactured pursuant to current Good Manufacturing Practices as established by the United States Food and Drug Administration and comply with standards established by U.S.P.

Packaging

Strips are available from M-Tech in packs of 100 or 500. Raven offers strips packaged in glassine envelopes as well as peel back.

Other Formats

As well as spore strips, the following formats are available :

• Spore Suspension
• Cotton Threads
• Stainless Steel Discs