I've been working with Campy for years. They are really easy to handle, at
least the way we do things.
There are companies that supply bottled gases of one sort or another for
industrial uses--e.g., places where you normally get nitrogen or CO2
cylinders.
It is possible to order cylinders with the campy gas mix --a bit expensive
($250/per bottle), but well worth it. A tank will last for 6 months or
more.
We place our plates in Zip Lock style plastic bags. I find that freezer
bags work best. We have used Glad bags, Hefty Bags, Zip Lock, etc. The
brand doesn't seem to make as much difference as whether or not the bag is a
freezer bag.
The bags are then "gased" with the campy gas. Usually, I fill and empty the
bag a couple of times to flush the air out.
This works wonderfully.
I typically grow my organism on Campy-Cefex plates as described by Stern et
al. These are Brucella Agar plates that have been spiked with Cefaperizone,
cycloheximide; and I like to add rifampicin.
Lysed horse blood is added to the plates too.
I don't want to post my name and phone number here, nor my real email
address--you can figure out who I am by doing a quick search-- Avian
Diseases 47:753-758--2003. I'd welcome a phone call from anyone who wants
to talk about campy.
"C Coward" <cc122 at mole.bio.cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:bob5c6$pso$1 at pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk...
> Greetings microbiologists...We're looking into the possibility of
> extending our capacity for growing Campylobacter. Currently we use a
> microaerobic workstation to maintain 85% N2/5% O2/5% H2/5% CO2 at 42oC.
> We're consdidering getting an air incubator and growing the bugs in
> containers with CampyGen gas packs. We've got a couple of microbiology gas
> jars but they're an awkward shape so was wondering whether there'd be any
> problems with getting appropriate size boxes e.g. Tupperware, taping the
> edges to attempt an air-tight seal, and using gas packs inside.
>> Also, are there any ways (indicator strips for example) to determine if
> you've successfully generated a microaerobic environment?
>> TIA
>> Chris
