Abstract
Abstract Introduction Proper storage conditions and maintenance of viable biological material plays an important role in microbiological research, allowing for the opportunity to conduct future studies. Objective To evaluate the viability of Streptococcus mutans strains that were previously grown and stored under different temperatures for approximately eight years. Material and method In this study, we evaluated 393 bacterial isolates that were stored in a freezer at -80°C (G1) and 200 isolates stored in a freezer at -20°C (G2). Aliquots of each sample were plated on blood agar and mitis-salivarius bacitracin sucrose agar-solidified medium. After incubating under microaerophilic conditions in an incubator at 37°C for 72 hours, the presence, morphology and purity of bacterial growth was observed. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. Result Microbial viability was observed in almost all samples (99.7%) in G1, whereas all isolates stored at -20°C were considered inviable. Conclusion The viability of S. mutans is influenced by the storage temperature of the samples, and the strains remain viable when stored under ideal temperature conditions (-80°C), even when stored for a long period of time.
Highlights
Proper storage conditions and maintenance of viable biological material plays an important role in microbiological research, allowing for the opportunity to conduct future studies
Due to its potent virulence factors, Streptococcus mutans is considered the microorganism of greatest cariogenicity among microbial species that colonize the human oral cavity[1,2]
When the primary objective is the detection of bacterial colonies or individual cells, a selective medium should be used that contains components that almost exclusively allow for the development of the target group or species[6]
Summary
Proper storage conditions and maintenance of viable biological material plays an important role in microbiological research, allowing for the opportunity to conduct future studies. Objective: To evaluate the viability of Streptococcus mutans strains that were previously grown and stored under different temperatures for approximately eight years. Result: Microbial viability was observed in almost all samples (99.7%) in G1, whereas all isolates stored at -20°C were considered inviable. Conclusion: The viability of S. mutans is influenced by the storage temperature of the samples, and the strains remain viable when stored under ideal temperature conditions (-80°C), even when stored for a long period of time. The scientific community has investigated this bacterium for decades using various biochemical, serological and genetic techniques[3]. To this end, microbiology laboratories strive to preserve bacterial cultures while considering both microorganism survival and viability. When the primary objective is the detection of bacterial colonies or individual cells, a selective medium should be used that contains components that almost exclusively allow for the development of the target group or species[6]
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