This is a very useful & timely warning for people like me with
mechanical/engineering background rather than lab/biology trained.
I've always been led to believe that 70% ETOH will knock off anything
of interest in this context.
Anyone else (microbiology types?) like to comment?
> As for swabbing down external surfaces with 70% ETOH, I would
> regard this as an excellent strategy for mobilizing bacterial aerosol.
Could you please expand on this Arnold?
Maybe we're not talking the same language; To me, "swabbing down"
means "take some material (paper towel, tissue etc), douse it with
some solvent (70% ETOH) and wipe the area or object to be cleaned
with the solvent-wet material."
This to me specifically excludes splashing or spraying, and I'm
not able to equate this activity with creating or mobilising
any aerosol.
>On the few occasions when I have had to carry out sterile sorting, my
>strategy is as follows:
>
> Clean sort nozzle/flow cell /sheath tank with a proprietary detergent and
>rinse in sterile H2O.
> Wash the sort collection area down with a proprietary detergent
> Bypass the in-line sheath filter, Then flush system with following:
> 1)H2O
> 2)Surface active agent e.g. 0.1% DECON 90
> 3)Sterile H20
> 4)Sterile sheath fluid
> 5)Fit new sterile in-line sheath filter.
Maybe I'm missing something (as I often do!) but you have not
included anything that I recognise as a sterilising agent.
Which of these steps is intended to kill pre-existing bugs?
Many thanks for your tolerance of my ignorance, this old dog
would like to learn some new tricks.
Regards, Joseph.
-- Joseph Webster Flow Cytometry Facility Centenary Institute