International Collection of Micro-organisms from Plants - Catalogue

Introduction ii
accession under a name other than that by which it was
received, the fact is always stated.
6. Status. Taxonomic status is shown if applicable. For
bacteria, type and pathotype strains are indicated. For fungi,
isolates made from the herbarium type specimen are
described as ex Type specimen .
7. References. References to published papers that give
information about specific accessions are given but no
systematic attempt has been made to include all, or even
the most important, of such references. Future editions of
this catalogue aim to include all important references to
ICMP strains. The curator welcomes references to
internationally available journals, as well as any reprints with
information about ICMP strains.
Deposition of Cultures
Deposition of micro-organisms of research interest that are
only meagrely represented in the Collection is welcomed.
Authors of new species, reference strains, and pathovars
are asked to deposit representative strains in the ICMP.
Offers of strains should be addressed to the Curator and
should describe their salient characteristics. Full details of
information requested at the time of deposition are shown
on p. vii. ICMP will arrange import documentation for strains
that are accepted.
Purity and any easily determinable specific characters are
verified when cultures are added to the Collection, and
again after each fresh batch of ampoules is prepared.
Ordering Cultures
Orders are usually accepted only in writing (letter, fax or email);
orders can be accepted by telephone but only on the
understanding that a confirmatory written order is being sent
to the address on p. ?. It is often preferable to ask for strains
by name and state the purpose for which they are needed
rather than ask for strains by their numbers; ICMP staff can
then choose the most suitable strains. For example, some
type strains were in culture for many years before being
vacuum-dried and may be avirulent or of low virulence, and
may exhibit colony variation. For most purposes other than
taxonomic studies, a recent isolate would be preferred.
Charges
Unless exchange arrangements are agreed to with
collections or individual workers, a graduated scale of
charges is made for the supply of cultures. Such charges
are intended to cover the costs of culture maintenance,
supply and added value provided by Landcare Research.
This charge will not include any fee for the material or
organism itself. All plant pathogenic strains are now
considered to be in Risk Group II, and additional courier
mailing cost may be levied. Overseas payment should be as
bank cheques in New Zealand dollars, otherwise a bank
charge will be incurred.
Exchange of Cultures
The Curator can waive charges if strains that enhance the
inventory of the Collection are available for exchange.
Identification of pathogens to pathovar level, where
appropriate, is desirable but not expected for uncommon
combinations.
Permits for Non-indigenous Micro-organisms
Permission is required to import any isolate into New
Zealand which did not originate in this country. Application
for permits should be made to the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries (MAF), Lynfield Research Centre, PO Box 41,
Auckland.
Workers in other countries are responsible for ensuring that
they do not contravene their own quarantine regulations.
Use of ICMP Containment Facility
ICMP is a quarantine containment facility under the
Biosecurity Act 1993 and is therefore permitted to accession
and hold organisms which have not been released into New
Zealand. With the permission of MAF, and by arrangement
with the Curator, ICMP, cultures of strains may be
processed within the containment facility.
Methods for Reviving Cultures
Accessions are identified by the number on the label inside
the ampoule, reading from the round end of the tube. Two
digits following a dash - e.g., -89, show the year in which
the culture was preserved.
Bacteria and some fungi are vacuum-dried as suspensions.
For these ampoules, the culture will be mainly on the label
paper and the cotton-wool pellet (if present).
Ampoules should be opened in a transfer cabinet. Prepare
sterile capped containers (5 ml bottles). With a glass cutter
or file, nick the ampoule in the region of the cotton-wool
bung. Holding the ampoule in forceps, dip in alcohol, drain
and flame, ensuring that alcohol is not burnt off over the
label or pellet.
Open ampoules either by snapping the ampoule with the file
mark facing away from the operator, or by touching with a
red-hot wire or glass rod on the file mark. Wrapping the
ampoule in a sterile towel is an additional precaution to
protect the operator. Lower the half ampoule containing the
culture, open end upwards, into a prepared sterile bottle.
With a sterile Pasteur pipette, add ~0.5 ml of nutrient broth
(for bacteria) or water (for fungi) to each ampoule, taking
care that liquid does not run down the outside of the
ampoule. Use a fresh sterile pipette for every ampoule.
Agitate the label and pellet with a COOLED sterile loop.
(Loops must be cooled before they are dipped into
ampoules or they will kill the culture.)
After 20-30 minutes, transfer liquid with a cooled loop
(bacteria) or Pasteur pipette (fungi) from the ampoules onto
prepared agar plates and incubate. Autoclave ampoules and
bottles, etc.
If satisfactory growth is not achieved by this method then the
ampoule will be replaced by ICMP. Incubating opened
ampoules to enhance weak growth is not recommended.
Ampoules of fungal cultures vacuum-dried on agar or stored
over silica gel contain discs of dried culture. These should
be transferred from the ampoule to a prepared agar plate
using a sterile micro-spatula.
Culture Media for Growth and Maintenance
In general, for opening ampoules, media which favour
copious growth of bacteria (YNA or King's medium B) or
extensive growth of fungi (PDA or MEA), are recommended.
However, such media are not necessarily those which
sustain them for long periods. For bacteria, media
containing carbohydrates characteristicly do not support
survival.
Bacteria
In our experience the minimal salts media (YPA or YSA -