The goal of this project is the production of oxygen impermeable culture dishes that incorporate an oxygen reducing enzyme system, Oxyrase(tm), for the purpose of growing anaerobic bacteria. This Oxyrase culture dish will permit the reliable, rapid, and convenient observations of clinically significant anaerobic bacterial colonies on the surface of a variety of nutrient agars. The final product will not have to be incubated in anaerobic containers. The Oxyrase culture dish will facilitate detection and characterization of a wide variety of anaerobic bacteria involved in disease processes. The complete dishes, including the medium and the Oxyrase, will be made commercially. This will provide a product for the clinical microbiologist that can be used in ways comparable to commercially prepared media in culture dishes used in clinical laboratories today. Large scale commercial production of Oxyrase containing culture dishes will yield a cost effective product for the routine isolation and study of anaerobic, pathogenic bacteria. This will reduce laboratory costs by increased efficiency. The Oxyrase culture dish is expected to stimulate increased study of and work with anaerobic, pathogenic bacteria.
