I am trying to develop a sample preparation procedure with Streptomyces and
am having some difficulty. Our standard sample prep procedure is to use a
plastic stick to pick colonies from an agar plate. Since the Streptomyces
I
am growing are quite 'crusty' and grow into the agar somewhat, I can't
recover
them from the agar surface in this way. I thought I would switch to
growing them up in broth and then adjust the O.D. to my target range. The
problem is that I can't vortex to achieve a uniform suspension of cells.
These things are like big strings that don't disperse. Also, when I have
dug colonies from the plates, I haven't been able to vortex the sample into
any kind of suspension.
I am currently using BHI media to grow these samples. They are growing
alright. I was thinking about switching to Bennett's medium in the hopes
of getting a little bit more luxurious growth. Does anyone have any
suggestions for media? How do people take O.D. readings of Streptomyces?
(I've tried incubating plates at higher humidity and have been thinking
about ammending the media with a little Tween but that's the limit of my
less-than-brilliant ideas.)
Hope someone can help.
Thanks,
A.J.
