Explore the options and understand the equivalence of the main collections.
Culture collections are valuable resources aimed at preserving, identifying, cataloging, and distributing the strains deposited within them for use in quality control, supporting scientific research, as well as in the development and production of bioproducts and other applications in the fields of health, agriculture, industry, and the environment.
In the routine of analysis laboratories, for example, reference strains are essential for quality control of the materials used in clinical and veterinary diagnostic tests, as well as in microbiological analysis of food, water, pharmaceutical products, and the environment. They are also of great importance for conducting studies on the validation of analytical methods and determining measurement uncertainty.
In its continuous pursuit of providing the best solutions in laboratory quality control, Controllab has partnered with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This initiative has enabled immediate access to reference strains for Brazil and other Latin American countries.
Get to know NCTC®️
Among the main collections, NCTC®️ (National Collection of Type Cultures) stands out as the oldest bacterial collection in the world, founded in 1920. These strains are available for immediate delivery.
They provide greater confidence and credibility to routines, facilitating compliance with standards, regulations, audits, accreditations, and inspections. As a natural evolution of Controllab’s solutions, the strains have earned the ABNT NBR ISO 17034 certification, and most of them are now recognized as Certified Reference Materials (CRM).
In addition to NCTC®️, Controllab is also licensed for NCPV®️ (National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses) and NCPF®️ (National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi).
Equivalence of the main culture collections
NCTC®️, like ATCC®️, is a global reference for culture collections. Both are registered with the WDCM (World Data Center for Microorganisms), an international database that groups strains into a unique identifier system. This facilitates the comparison and sharing of information about reference strains.
In the WDCM, the same strain can have different designations depending on the collection. For example, the strain Escherichia coli NCTC®️ 12241 is also designated as ATCC®️ 25922; CIP®️ 76.24, DSM®️ 1103, CCUG®️ 17620, CECT®️ 434, depending on the culture collection.
Therefore, when using an NCTC®️ strain or an ATCC®️ strain, you are using reference strains with the same phenotypic characteristics and genotyping. Technical protocols and accrediting bodies recognize all available culture collections, ensuring equivalence and compliance among them.
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