universal transport medium

The universal transport medium is a special solution or substance used to preserve and transport biological samples after sample collection and before detection. It aims to maintain the stability and activity of biological components in the sample and ensure the accuracy of detection results. Here is a detailed introduction:

Main types

• Virus preservation solution: It is one of the most common universal transport media and is mainly used for the collection, transportation, and preservation of virus samples. According to different virus types and detection needs, virus preservation solutions can be divided into inactivated and non-inactivated types. Inactivated virus preservation solutions usually contain components such as guanidine salt, which can quickly lyse viruses, release nucleic acids, and at the same time inhibit the activity of nucleases to protect the integrity of viral nucleic acids. Non-inactivated virus preservation solutions do not destroy the structure and activity of viruses. While preserving viruses, they can also maintain the infectivity of viruses and are suitable for samples that need virus culture or antigen detection.
• Bacterial preservation solution: Used for the collection and transportation of bacterial samples. It usually contains nutrients such as peptone, yeast extract, etc., as well as buffers and protectants, which can provide a suitable growth environment for bacteria and maintain the activity and stability of bacteria. Some bacterial preservation solutions also add components such as antibiotics to inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria and improve the purity of samples.
• Cell preservation solution: Mainly used for the collection, transportation, and short-term preservation of cell samples. Cell preservation solutions usually contain appropriate medium components, serum, buffers, protectants, etc., which can provide necessary nutrients and growth factors for cells and maintain the morphology and activity of cells. Different types of cells have different requirements for preservation solutions. For example, some cell preservation solutions also add special components such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to protect cells from freezing damage.

Characteristics and functions

• Stabilize biological samples: After sample collection, biological components may be degraded or inactivated due to the influence of external environmental factors. The universal transport medium can provide a stable chemical and physical environment, such as appropriate pH value, osmotic pressure, temperature, etc., reduce the influence of external factors on biological samples, and maintain the integrity and activity of biological components.
• Prevent pollution: The universal transport medium usually contains antibacterial agents, preservatives and other components, which can inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and prevent the sample from being contaminated by external microorganisms during transportation, ensuring the purity and reliability of the sample.
• Convenient for transportation and storage: The universal transport medium has good compatibility and stability and can be used under different temperature and environmental conditions, which is convenient for the transportation and storage of samples. Some universal transport media can also preserve samples for a long time at room temperature, reducing the dependence on cold chain transportation and improving the convenience and efficiency of transportation.

Application fields

• Clinical diagnosis: In clinical diagnosis of diseases, universal transport media are widely used in the collection and transportation of various biological samples, such as blood, urine, sputum, throat swabs, feces, etc. By using universal transport media, the quality and stability of samples during transportation can be ensured, providing a reliable sample source for subsequent detection.
• Disease monitoring and prevention and control: In the work of infectious disease monitoring and prevention and control, universal transport media are particularly important for the collection and transportation of virus samples. Timely and accurately collecting and transporting virus samples helps to quickly diagnose and identify pathogens and take effective prevention and control measures to prevent the spread and transmission of epidemics.
• Biomedical research: In the field of biomedical research, universal transport media are used for the collection and transportation of various biological samples, such as cells, tissues, blood, nucleic acids, etc. These samples are important materials for researching disease occurrence mechanisms, drug development, gene therapy, etc. The universal transport medium can ensure the quality and activity of samples and provide guarantee for the smooth progress of research work.