Definition of transport medium

Transport media are special media formulated to preserve a specimen and minimize bacterial overgrowth from the time of collection to the time it is received at the laboratory to be processed. Depending on the type of organisms suspected in the sample, transport media may vary. However in general, transport media are classified on the basis of physical state as semi solid and liquid and also in basis of their utility as bacterial or viral transport media. Transport media contains only buffers and salt instead of containing any nutritional ingredients such as carbon, nitrogen, and organic growth factors so as to prevent microbial multiplication. Addition of antibiotics and other substances like glycerol may be added for transporting specimens for tissue culture.

Classification of commonly used transport mediums

• More suitable for collectuon of potentially harmful pathogens and known pathogens of severe infectious diseases (such as 2019-nCoV, Ebola virus, etc.) and provides good protection for medical personnel.

2.Cultured preservation