The autoclave biological indicator contains a special type of spore from Geobacillus stearothermophilus and a specially formulated culture medium. The reason for using this type of bacteria spore is its high resistance to heat. G. stearothermophilus spores After being autoclaved for 15 minutes at a temperature of 121 ± 0.5 degrees Celsius at a pressure of 1 atmosphere, the G. stearothermophilus spores are completely eliminated. At lower temperatures or shorter periods of time, a small number of spores may survive and grow. This product is placed inside the autoclave along with other materials that need to be sterilized. After autoclaving, the MicrobCheck ASC biological indicator must be incubated to ensure the autoclave’s proper functioning. After incubation, the absence of spore growth indicates complete sterilization and proper autoclave performance, while bacterial growth indicates the inefficiency of the autoclave machine.
Test
To use MicrobCheck ASC autoclave, attention must be paid to the volume of the autoclave machine. For each use, 2 tes tubes are required for machines with a volume equal to 250 liters and at least 6 test tubes for machines with a volume greater than 250 liters. To prevent the possible breakage of these bioindicator tubes during autoclaving, it is better to place them in suitable glass containers. Bioindicators should be placed in areas of the autoclave where sterilization conditions may not be fully established. For example, the bottom or middle of the autoclave .
If a large volume of materials needs to be autoclaved, such as flasks containing large amounts of liquid or solid materials, the bioindicators should be placed inside the flask or in the middle of the equipment. Another use of these bioindicators is to check the accuracy of the autoclave’s internal temperature during the sterilization process. After autoclaving, the bioindicators must be heated at a temperature of 60 ± 2 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. It is recommended to heat an unsterilized bioindicator as a positive control along with the sterilized bioindicator for each use. It should be noted that these bioindicators should not be exposed to temperatures higher than 125 degrees Celsius, otherwise, they will no longer be effective.
