what is viral transport medium

Q: Do the policies outlined in the COVID-19 Transport Media Policy apply to all types of transport media?
A: No, the policies outlined in the COVID-19 Transport Media Policy only apply to certain transport media devices that can be used to transport certain clinical specimens that are tested by molecular or antigen diagnostic assays for use during availability concerns resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency. This includes sterile VTM that have been designed and validated consistent with the current version of the CDC’s SOP for the Preparation of Viral Transport Media as well as sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)/saline transport media.

A Viral Transport Medium (VTM) following the WHO and CDC recommendations with or without a swab

The success of the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV) during the COVID-19 outbreak depends largely on the quality of the specimen and the conditions under which the specimen is transported and stored before being processed in the laboratory.

Viral Transport Medium (VTM) allows the safe transfer of viruses, chlamydia, and mycoplasma for further research, including conventional cell culture methods, diagnostic tests, and molecular biology techniques.
Commercially prepared viral transport media are available in a screw cap plastic tube containing buffered proteins (serum, albumin or gelatin) and antibiotics. Antibiotics are usually incorporated into the viral transport media to suppress the growth of contaminating bacteria and fungi, so separate samples from the same site should be collected if bacterial or fungal cultures are also requested.

Our Viral Transport Medium is based on Hanks Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) with Calcium and Magnesium and contains heat-inactivated Fetal Bovine Serum, Gentamycin, and Amphotericin B. The composition and the manufacturing of the Viral Transport Medium follow the WHO and the CDC recommendations.
The product is provided as a liquid in a sterile 13 ml flat bottom tube with or without a swab to provide a maximum range of possibilities to collect samples.

The VTM is available in 2 formats: Without and with swabs.