GB799644A - Method for the dried storage of micro-organisms - Google Patents

Abstract

In making preparations of dried microorganisms to withstand storage and retain viability, substances which inhibit or prevent damage by reaction between cellular protein and available carbonyl compounds are incorporated. These substances are exemplified by non-reducing sugars, polyols, inositol, free amino acids reacting in the dry state with carbonyl radicals, sulphur dioxide, hydroxylamine, phenylhydrazine, semicarbazide, pyridinium aceto-hydrazide chloride (Girard reagent P) and trimethylammonium aceto hydrazide chloride (Girard T reagent). The method may be applied to vaccines comprising suspensions of bacteria, rickettsiae, pleuropneumonia type organisms and viruses, bacteria of leguminous plant root nodules, bacteria used in cheese-making, yeasts, and mammalian spermatozoa. Examples are concerned with (i) drying a culture, containing a 0.1 molar concentration of mannitol, of a Streptococcus lactis used in cheese-making, and storing in vacuo at 25 DEG C. and r.h. 40 per cent; (ii) drying tap water suspensions, containing a 1 molar concentration of sucrose and containing a 0.1 molar concentration of lysine and a 1 molar concentration of sucrose, of Rhizobium leguminosarum, a clover seed inoculant, and storing in vacuo at 25 DEG C. and r.g. 0 per cent; (iii) drying tap water and phosphate buffer solution suspensions of Salmonella newport containing a 1.1 molar concentration of sucrose and containing a 0.01 molar concentration of hydroxylamine, semi-carbazide, Girard reagent P or T, and storing in air, and in vacuo at 25 DEG C. and r.h. 0 per cent and r.h. 43 per cent; (iv) drying a baker's strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture containing a 0.1 molar concentration of lysine, and storing in vacuo at r.h. 0 per cent; (v) drying broths of the viruses staphylococcus bacteriophage 51 and Escherichia coli bacteriophage T5 having a 0.1 molar concentration of lysine, a 0.1 molar concentration of glutamic acid, glycine and lysine in equal parts, a 0.5 molar concentration of sorbitol, or inositol, and storing in vacuo at 25 DEG C. and r.h. 43 per cent and r.h. 0 per cent; (vi) drying a strain of the virus for Herpes simplex in a buffered egg allantoic fluid containing a 0.1 molar concentration of lysine, and storing in vacuo at 25 DEG C. and r.h. 43 per cent and r.h. 0 per cent; (vii) retention of activity in dried human influenza virus by addition of alanine.