Can one ATCC organism be used to quality control a bacterial identification system?
A. The QC standards require use of both a positive and negative control to ensure proper reactivity for chemical and biological solutions, reagents and antisera used in microbiology. Bacterial identification systems, which are composed of multiple miniaturized biochemical tests, usually have a package insert recommending a combination of ATCC* organisms to meet this quality control requirement. The position of some manufacturers has been that one organism is sufficient for quality control of their bacterial identification system. The Joint Commission’s position is that no single organism could fully test the positive and negative reactions of the test system and, therefore, would not meet the standards.
