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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2000, p. 3432-3437, Vol. 66, No. 8
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Rapid Methods for Testing the Efficacy of Sterilization-Grade Filter Membranes

Matthew H. Griffiths,1,2 Peter W. Andrew,2 Peter R. Ball,3,* and George M. Hall1

Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leicester, Leicester,2 and Pall Europe Ltd., Portsmouth,3 United Kingdom

Received 7 October 1999/Accepted 13 April 2000

The validation of sterilization-grade membranes is integral to ensuring the efficient and safe use of microfiltration systems. Here validation refers to the production of sterile filtrate for sterilizing-grade membranes under challenge test conditions. Current validation methods require 48 h of culture for results to become available, which creates time delays within the manufacturing process and quality control (QC) backlogs. This work compares four methods for the production of filter challenge test data, to the desired test sensitivity, within 24 h using bioluminescent and fluorescent recombinant strains of the test organism Brevundimonas diminuta. These methods should provide a way to implement more rapid QC test regimens for filters.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Pall Europe Ltd., Walton Road, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Phone: (44) 02392 303303. E-mail: ball{at}pall.com.


Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2000, p. 3432-3437, Vol. 66, No. 8
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.