ATCC® have launched a searchable Web-based resource for cross-referencing ATCC strains with a database of widely used and agreed-upon test methods and laboratory procedural standards.

Part of the ATCC Standards Program, the Web-based resource is a searchable database of standard microbiology test methods and commercial assays that is linked to information on ATCC's collection of reference microorganisms. The search tool allows scientists and laboratory professionals to determine which ATCC-held bacteria, viruses, fungi or cell lines are specified in a particular standardized test method or procedure.

"This standards resource will be a tremendous help for communities of scientists in clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical development, quality control microbiology and a host of other fields in which microorganisms are used for testing," said Joseph Perrone, ScD, Vice President for the Standards Program at ATCC. "Users can quickly and easily find information about high-quality ATCC reference materials that are used in a wide range of tests and protocols."

Users of the ATCC Standards Resource can enter a specific protocol that has been established as a consensus standard. The standards resource will return information about the ATCC reference materials necessary for carrying out that standard procedure. Alternatively, persons can search for a particular ATCC standard reference microorganism and view all standards-related information associated with that material.

Standards resource users can search standard test methods by name or number of the organization or company that developed it, or by the number of the test that calls for ATCC strains. They can access product page descriptions for the cultures specified. The Web-based standards resource can be accessed through the ATCC Web site at www.atcc.org.