The goal of this research is to develop a culture dish (OxyDish*) that, together with Oxyrase tm, will support growth of clinically significant, anaerobic microorganisms on an agar-medium surface without using anaerobic bags, jars, or chambers. The use of oxyrase and this dish to grow anaerobes will be transparent to the microbiologist and to the microorganisms. The microbiologist should be able to work with most anaerobic microbes. The combination of oxyrase with the dish will provide an environment that will reliably support the rapid growth of anaerobic microorganisms. No other environmental intervention or special equipment will be needed to grow clinically important microorganisms. The simplicity of the OxyDish will enhance the efficiency of the clinical microbiologist working with anaerobic pathogens. This increased efficiency, together with the elimination of special equipment supplies, will reduce the cost of working with anaerobic pathogens.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:Oxyrase tm and OxyDish* are distinct products that can be sold separately. In combination with bacteriological media, a complete ready-to-use package can be provided to the clinical microbiologist. Customers for these products include microbiology laboratories in hospitals, clinics, universities and physician offices.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
