Can RABIT detect thermophillic organisms?
DETECTION OF THERMOPHILIC ORGANISMS IN RABIT Two detection methods are available to RABIT users, the direct and indirect methods. The indirect method does not work particularly well at elevated temperatures due to water vapour condensing at the top of cell and dropping back onto the potassium hydroxide bridging plug thereby altering the conductivity of the agar plug and giving rise to a “noisy” electrical signal. As a general principle RABIT modules can be run up to a temperature of 50°C using the direct impedance method. DWS have experience of working with Whitley Impedance Broth and Whitley Anaerobe Broth at elevated temperatures and in each case there can be problems caused by evaporation of the culture medium and an associated change in medium conductivity. This can be reduced by applying a layer of sterile liquid paraffin or mineral oil to the surface of the culture medium after sample inoculation. This will obviously restrict oxygen supply to the inoculated culture and is thus pr
