A new article in Pathology in Practice draws attention to the importance of careful selection of transport swabs as part of the quality management function of ISO 15189 accredited laboratories. These devices have a critical role in ensuring the patient’s specimen arrives at the laboratory in sufficiently good condition to allow the accurate diagnosis of any infections. Laboratories may invest enormous sums in the latest equipment, but if the specimen is compromised it is unlikely to yield any meaningful data. As the old adage says, “Rubbish in, rubbish out!”.

The author, Jamie Laughlin, Microbiology & Business Development Manager at South West London Pathology,  compared results obtained for a variety of swab brands with charcoal Amies medium for some key pathogens including Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Having access to a BD Kiestra InoqulA FA allowed the study to be performed efficiently according to CLSI M40-A2 Roll Plate Method. Charcoal medium is generally expected to give better performance, but there was found to be considerable variation.  In the study MWE Transwabs® performed consistently well for all the test organisms, including good recovery of Neisseria gonorrhoeae at both room and refrigeration temperatures.

Microbiology collection device and ISO 15189: an appropriate selection, Pathology in Practice December 2017 (login is required to view article).

To select the best transport swabs for your laboratory visit www.mwe.co.uk or download the MWE Transwabs brochure.